Tournament of Terror
by twilitprincess
Summary: The 3rd tournament of SSB started like any other tournament. But as each battle takes place, the loser disappears into darkness and doesn't return. They have no choice but to continue the tournament...but will they survive? Suspense/drama/action/humor/O.O
1. The Tournament Begins

**Important Author's Note!! Read This!!**

**No flames. Don't like it, don't read it. This story is based off of a comic that's already drawn, so nothing is going to be changed, no matter what anyone says. A few other points I should make before you start reading…**

**-Lucas is named Sammy. Lucas is a sucky name for a cute little boy like him. You'll find out why everyone calls him Sammy by the end.**

**-The main characters featured in this are Link, Meta Knight, Ness and a couple others such as Kirby, Toon Link, and Sammy. (Haha get used to it! I'm evil like that and I like to rename characters. Points to Lone Wolf story :D)**

**-To make the tournament equal, I had to get rid of three characters. Peach, Sonic, and Marth were the chosen ones. But don't worry—they still have a place in the story.**

**-Some character personalities are a bit weird…in other words; Ness talks funny because he does in the game. Seriously, his P.K. Thunder sounds like he's saying, "He gets higher!" and P.K. Flash sounds like "P.K. Fwarsh" or something. So I'm just kind of making fun of his speech impediment…**

**-I don't really know all the games so some stuff might be off. Oh, and the Meta Knight I go off of is the anime one…plus there's some made up stuff…whatever, I don't know.**

**-Haha, I probably just lost a couple good readers through those points, didn't I?**

**If you didn't read all the crap I just spewed, shame on you.**

"Hello! And welcome to the 3rd annual Smash Bros. Tournament!" A pretty news reporter spoke into a microphone, standing in front of a giant mansion that looked more like a castle. Leading up to the mansion was a bright red carpet, with ropes on either side to keep out the flood of excited fans from jumping onto the carpet.

"With the red carpet rolled out, the new generation of smashers are calling this…"

**SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL**

"Here come the new arrivals!" Another newscaster shouted above the roar of the crowd.

A jet-black limo pulled up and the door opened. Immediately, cameras could be heard clicking and snapping as multiple pictures were taken off the smashers. A green blur erupted from the limo.

"Eeee! Toon Link is so cute!" A high-pitched shriek burst out.

Indeed, little Link stumbled out from the parked vehicle, holding his blade (that was way too big for him) high above his head.

"There's Olimar!" "I love you, Pit!" More excited screams followed the first. Security doubled to make sure the fan girls didn't swarm the premises.

The reporter from earlier looked at the line of newcomers steadily flowing out from the parked limo. Her eyes gleamed. "Let's see if we can catch one for an interview." She waved her hand for her cameraman to follow and he strode after her. Soon enough, she spotted her prey.

DeDeDe saw the approaching reporter and his eyes sparkled at the thought of being interviewed by this attractive reporter. "Why hello there…" She said sweetly.

Suddenly, she shoved him out of the way. "Sir Meta Knight!" She finished quickly. Meta Knight watched as DeDeDe glared at him and stomped away in a fit.

Meanwhile, the reporter was getting down on her knees to shove the microphone into Meta Knight's face. "How does it feel being one of the shortest smashers?" She questioned, "Are you feeling intimidated?"

"Fool." Meta Knight muttered, for he hated when people made fun of his height. Before the woman could respond, he wrapped his cape around himself and disappeared before their very eyes.

"He disappeared!" The lady squealed excitedly, "Did you get that on tape?"

"Sure did!" Her cameraman responded proudly.

A blonde boy who had been walking behind the masked puffball frowned. "You'll have to excuse Mr. Meta Knight." He apologized to the news crew, "He's not very friendly."

"Aww!" The reported giggled, not listening to a word the boy had been saying. "Aren't you adorable! What's your name?"

"Ma name is Ness…and I have a stowy about tasty tweats."

The blonde looked up to see a little boy with a red hat and a striped shirt trying to climb onto his back and hang over his head.

"Ness, what are you doing?! This is for newcomers ONLY!"

"Hiya Sammy!" He smiled, oblivious to what his friend was yelling.

"Get off! You're not supposed to be here!" "Sammy" scolded, swinging his head around to throw Ness off. In response, Ness shouted, "Weee!"

The reported rolled her eyes and walked away, looking for someone more interesting to interview. Sammy saw her go. _Oh no! My big break! Oh well… _He sighed inwardly and began to trudge along, Ness still clinging to his shoulders, although he was partly being dragged along the ground.

"Woohoo!" People shouted, flashing cameras all around them. Suddenly, Pokemon Trainer came up behind Sammy, stalking him from a few feet back.

"If you walk a little slower, we can have a nice chat, kid." The creepy trainer whispered. Sammy nearly had a heart attack, and kept on going just as fast, despite Ness still riding on his back.

Meanwhile where the reporter had wandered…

"While the new fighters situate themselves with one another, let's talk to last year's champion…Link! So, Link! How's life?"

"Dangerous." Link said, narrowing his eyes. "I can only stay out here for five minutes before the fan girls pick up my scent."

"Oh my…" The reporter said without any emotion at all. "Hmm…"scent" you say. What do they think you smell like?"

Link lowered his voice. "Well, I'm not supposed to do this during the tournament, but I could turn into a wolf and ask their blood hounds."

The reporter sweatdropped and mumbled something along the lines of, "No…that's fine…" before moving briskly to the next question. "Instead, tell me what you think of the new fighters. Will "Toon" Link provide a challenge?"

Link looked over at his miniature self, who was currently posing for a photo shoot. "I'm really hoping I don't have to fight him. He knows all the benefits of my moves, plus he's faster than me. The only con is that he doesn't have a fairy!"

At the mention of a fairy, a shining blue ball of light burst out of Link's hat and screeched at the top of its lungs, "Hey!" Link looked slightly annoyed.

"Did I say con? I meant pro."

Suddenly, the fairy started bellowing at the top of her little lungs, "HEYLOOKLISTENHEYLOOKLISTENHEYLOOKLISTENHEYLOOKLISTENHEYLOOKLISTEN-!"

"Holy mother of Din, Navi! What. Do. You. WANT?!" Link roared over her constant babbling. Navi paused.

"Watch out." She said quietly.

Link turned around. A pair of vicious looking bloodhounds rounded the corner, eyes fixed on their prey. Link let out a startled yell and scrambled for the nearest door to the mansion, shutting him inside. The hounds paused in disappointment and sniffed the ground expectantly.

A group of fan girls rounded the corner.

"Shoot! He was just here!" One scowled, crossing her arms.

"The tournament's gonna start soon!" Another said happily, bouncing up and down.

"Let's go." A third declared and the mob ran off to find the nearest television.

* * *

"The championships will be set up in a tournament order. You lose you're out. The transporter will transport you to and from the stages. Your places in the tournament as well as your room numbers have been decided. Girls on the 2nd floor, boys on the 3rd…so…any questions?" Mario asked, standing on a podium above the entire crowd of smashers.

"Ooh! When do we eat? When do we EAT?!" Ness waved his arm frantically.

"Poyo!" Kirby agreed, hopping up and down.

"There's the room assignments! Lunch is in an hour!" Mario announced, pointing a gloved finger at a wall covered in papers. The contestants crowded around.

"Wook, Sammy, WOOK! We'we togetha!" Ness said happily, smiling at his buddy. The Pokemon Trainer casually shifted towards Sammy.

"I tried to get us together, but it didn't work out…" He hissed, just loud enough for Sammy to hear him. The poor boy shivered.

Meanwhile, Falco was standing with Meta Knight as they observed their placements. Falco started laughing and looked over at the masked knight. "So you're with Pikachu, huh? I heard a funny joke about Pokemon once. Heheh. Why shouldn't you have Pokemon in your house while your taking a shower? They might Pik-at-chu! Harhar!"

Meta Knight scowled as Pikachu let out an annoyed "Pikaaa."

While this was happening, Marth started making a scene, brandishing his sword and calling out loudly, "By my tiara, what felony is this? My name…under the female category?! The foul beast that has committed this crime shalt not life to see-!"

"S-Sorry about-a that error, Marth. It…it-a won't happen again!" A nervous Luigi stammered under the Prince's sharp gaze. After a moment of silence, Marth let out a heavy sigh.

"Whew…I have not lost my honor yet. But I must build back up my dignity…I know!" He raised his sword high above everyone's head. "I shall run out onto the middle of a busy highway intersection!"

With that, he dashed out the mansion doors, shouting, "By troth, I am off!"

"Marth! Waiiit!" Zelda called after him, but he had disappeared. She clasped her hands and sighed. "Looks like he won't be in this years competition either."

Kirby and Jigglypuff were standing by, staring at the list of contestants. "Nana! Popo! Do you know why Peach and Sonic aren't here?" Jigglypuff questioned, bouncing over to them with her puffball friend at her side.

"Peach got kidnapped and taken to the BeanBean Kingdom…" Nana started.

"And Sonic got shot in the head…" Popo continued.

"Again." The both finished in unison.

Lunchtime

"Yaaay!" Some cute smashers cheered, coming into the Dining Hall to find a magnificent feast lay out before them. Ness spotted a delicious-looking cake and ran towards it and proceeded to drool all over it. Mario took his spot at the end of the table. Link strolled over and sat down to his right.

Mario raised a spoon and a glass of wine, tapping it to quiet the excited babble. He cleared his throat and began, "I'd like to propose a toast to all participating in the Super Smash Bros. Tournament this year!"

"To the Smash Bros!" Everyone shouted, raising his or her glasses. "Cheers!"

Suddenly, the red beverages were sucked clean out of their cups. Everyone let go of their glasses and everything, including the plates, silverware, and the various foods, converged to one point on the table.

"Agh! Kirby!" "Someone stop him!"

Jigglypuff reached for her friend. "Kirby. Please-!" She started to say, but his massive vacuum sucked her in. "Eeeek!" She screeched and Kirby stopped with the Pokemon halfway shoved into his mouth. He turned a sickly shade of green and forced her out of his mouth. Then he collapsed, panting, with little X's in his eyes.

"Sooo…anyone up for sandwiches?" Someone said, a little farther down the table.

Before anyone could bring in more food, a servant came over to Mario and Link at the end of the table. "Mario, Link, you're needed outside. The news would like a small press conference before the tournament starts."

"Mamamiya!" Mario gasped.

"What?!" Link said, astounded. "But we just got here!" His stomach rumbled loudly in agreement. He looked ready to protest, but Mario placed his large hand on the Hylian's shoulder. "Come on, Link." He told him, "Let's-a go."

"Very well." The butler said happily, moving down the line of chairs until he reached two young boys. "More wine, young sirs?" He offered.

"Hit meh!" Ness shouted, his face looking very red.

"N…Ness!" Sammy said in amazement. "Just because our parents aren't here does NOT mean you can take advantage of drinking!"

"Y'aight, Sammy!" He drawled, waving a hand in acknowledgement. "I shundt gawn awwt drinkin!"

_Great. _Sammy thought, rolling his eyes. _Now I can't understand him at ALL!_

Toon Link then stumbled over to where Ness and Sammy were sitting. "Ness!" He said, holding up two bottles (one of wine and one of Lon Lon milk). "Let's see who can drink the most without passing out!"

"YEAH!!" Ness squealed.

Then they started singing in a slurred speech. "First you draw a circle. Cirrrcle. Draw a circleee!"

"Poyo!" Kirby giggled at his anime song being sung.

"Come on guys! The tournament is starting!" Someone shouted from the gathering room, forcing the boys to halt the contest and come running in to watch the TV. They all gathered around the wide screen. It wasn't long until a reporter appeared on it.

"It's finally time to witness the traditional first battle held in the grand stadium itself!" A picture of Link and Mario showed up on the screen. A line shot down, cutting them in half. Then a big VS appeared, wreathed in flame.

Everyone cheered, as the voice droned on. "This will be an interesting match. 1st year champion Mario will be facing last year's champion Link."

The two appeared in the middle of the stadium and everyone went insane—even the smashers, crammed inside their one room.

"Are the fighters ready…?" A deep voice boomed, "Let the match begin!"

* * *

"My plan…begins now."

* * *

**End of the first chapter…I know it seems like any old boring mansion tournament, but it'll get much better from here on out. I promise! Please stick with it and leave a nice review. **


	2. Disappearance

**Hmm...I don't really know why but I like to make Jigglypuff talk but not Pikachu...and I know Fountain of Dreams isn't a stage anymore but it was such an awesome stage and I just had to put it in! So...yeah...**

* * *

Link pulled out a handful of bombs instantly and began to chuck them at Mario

Link pulled out a handful of bombs instantly and began to chuck them at Mario. Explosions echoed throughout the stadium and the crowd screamed their heads off. Mario was lost in a cloud of gray smoke.

Suddenly, the plumber leapt out from the top and kicked Link while still in the air. Link held up an arm and blocked him. He pulled out his sword and shield and the two were about to explode into a ferocious fight when the loudspeaker blared, "Holy crap! A smash ball!" A smash ball appeared and floated lazily over the battle platform.

"Now they're REALLY gonna be beating the crap outta each other!" Falco said, his beak dropping open.

"Smash ball? What's dat??" Ness said happily, even though he knew perfectly well what one was. Sammy narrowed his eyes.

"You've used it before Ness. Remember P.K. Starstorm?" He prodded him, but Ness just looked at him stupidly.

"I've never gotten to use a smash ball." Jigglypuff said sadly.

"If you break the smash ball, you'll acquire the power to perform a final smash; the strongest of all moves." Sammy explained to Ness and Jigglypuff. "Each smasher has their own final smash relating to…well…you'll see." Jigglypuff rolled her eyes as if to say _Duh. I already knew that. _

Back in the battle, Mario and Link we're scrambling after the ball of power, trying to crack it open.

"Out of the way!" Mario screeched, punching the ball while throwing a fireball at Link. The flame hit Link right on the cheek and he fell back onto the edge of the stage. Growling, he pulled out his bow and arrow.

"Almost got it!" Mario was saying excitedly as he hopped after the item. Before he could touch it, an arrow shot past, making a direct hit.

The ball's power went into Link. He could feel it flow through his veins. "Now I have you…" He said in a deadly voice. Mario tried to jump away, but it was no use. "Hyaa!" Link shouted, charging forward.

Mario became enclosed in a giant triforce. Link slashed his sword repeatedly, damaging the Italian's health like crazy. He drew his sword back for the final blow and sent Mario flying off the stage. "Ahh!" Mario yelled as he disappeared over the edge.

"The victor is Link!" The announcer declared and the audience went wild. "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOObooOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Navi flew out of Link's hat and bobbed up and down excitedly. Link gave a nervous wave to the reporters as his fairy tried to hog the camera.

The smashers looked on, excited. "Sweet!" "That was so amazing!" "Pika!"

"We'll be seeing our hero Link tomorrow in the next round…" The TV said, "But for now, folks, he'll be heading back through the transporter to the Smash Bros. Mansion to get some rest. Stay tuned for an esteemed interview with Link's fairy Navi after this!"

There was a loud ZAP as Link appeared in the transporter, smiling. "Hey guys."

"WAOOOO!" Everyone cheered loudly.

"That was fweakin' AWESOME!" Ness bellowed.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi agreed, waving his hands.

Ganondorf looked on annoyed. Toon Link looked over at him, smiling innocently. "Mr. Ganny, your final smash is almost as cool as mine and Link's!"

_Almost? _Ganondork thought furiously to himself.

Another zapping sound filled the room. "Hey Mario-!" Link said, turning away from his friends to congratulate his opponent on a great fight. "Huh?" He stopped in his tracks. The transporter was empty. "That's strange…"

Nana and Popo giggled happily. "That was funny how it went ZAP and he wasn't there to come out!" "I know right?"

Link didn't find it funny at all. Zelda noticed the serious look on his face.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Link." She consoled. "He probably just stayed after for an interview." Link cast a nervous glance at the TV.

"But they're interviewing Navi right now!" He protested.

"Maybe it's an interview for the newspaper then." Zelda pointed out.

"Still…" Link frowned and turned to the little yellow mouse sitting at his feet. "Pikachu, when you battle Kirby next, can you keep an eye out for Mario?"

"Pika!" Pikachu chirped, making a little thumbs-up sign.

"Uh…thanks." Link replied.

"Pikaaa!" Pikachu waved his arm frantically as he walked towards the transporter.

"Poyo!" Kirby echoed, disappearing in a flash of light.

"Uh…good luck." Link said anxiously, raising a hand in farewell.

A contraption on the wall started spinning as soon as the two creatures had disappeared.

"Ooh! What's dat thingy-ma-jiggy?" Ness asked, once more asking a question that didn't need answering.

"It's a device that randomly selects a stage for the opponents to battle at." Ness turned around and stared at Meta Knight, who was standing on a bookshelf, his cloak wrapped firmly around him.

"…" Ness said.

"…" Meta Knight agreed.

"Come on guys! It's time for Pikachu and Kirby's fight!!" Someone shouted randomly.

Suddenly, the device rolled to a stop. It read "Fountain of Dreams."

"And they're fighting at an old stage from last year!"

King DeDeDe scowled, "That dang Kirby! He must have cheated so his stage would get picked!" _That sounds like something YOU would do… _Jigglypuff thought irritably.

This time, a picture of Kirby and Pikachu appeared on the screen, with the familiar VS in between them. "Let the battle begin!" The announcer shouted for a second time.

Pikachu stood, facing Kirby, small sparks coming out of his cheeks. Kirby stared back at him warily, his stubs of arms raised above his head.

There was a violent splash and Kirby was thrown into the air by a sudden spurt of water. Pikachu charged forward and shocked him. Kirby opened his mouth wide and began to suck in. Pikachu was instantly in his mouth. He gulped the Pokemon down and a small Pikachu hat appeared on his head.

"Pika!" He said in a shrill voice.

"I don't believe it!" The voice filled the emptiness of the fountain. "Kirby was actually smart enough to use his power to copy Pikachu's ability! What will happen next?"

"Pikachu!" Both fighters squeaked at the same time. "Piiikaaa…ch-!"

GZAP!

A strong surge of electricity coursed through both their bodies. Little X's appeared in Kirby's eyes and Pikachu's leaked tears.

The smashers all sweatdropped. "…Erm…what just happened?" Olimar asked.

"I think they just shocked each other at the same time." Sammy responded, eyes wide.

"Well…Pikachu and Kirby. Not exactly the brightest, are they?" Fox laughed as the battle continued.

"They're neck and neck!" The speaker said in amazement. "Who is going to win this battle??"

"Pika?!" Pikachu gasped. Kirby had pulled out his hammer. Wham! Pikachu went flying and fell into the darkness below the fountain. "Pikaaaaa!" He screamed, his cries fading away into nothingness.

"Kirby wins!" "WOOO!" "Poyo!"

Kirby did a little happy dance and took off his copy ability.

* * *

Pikachu's body made a sickening thud as it made contact with the ground underneath the fountain of dreams. He lay there for a moment stunned, then struggled to his feet.

"Pikachu…" A voice said, flowing through the black. "What a pleasant surprise. I truly wasn't expecting you…"

Pikachu looked around, eyes wide, trying to pierce the darkness closing in all around him. He ran in circles frantically, heart threatening to burst from his tiny yellow chest.

"Hehe…" Came a diabolical laugh. "Mwahahahahahaa!"

Pikachu couldn't hold it in anymore. He shrieked in pure terror.

"Pikaaaa!!"

* * *

"Poyoyoyoyooo!" Kirby said excitedly, now back at the mansion with his friends.

"I knew you could do it, Kirby!" Jigglypuff told her fellow puffball, although she had actually doubted him herself.

"Where's Pikachu?" The balloon Pokemon continued, "I want to congratulate him t-!"

"He hasn't come back." Link interrupted. Everyone looked at him.

"Link…?" Zelda said, looking worried.

"And Zelda, don't tell me they're interviewing Pikachu either. They can't understand him." He said, glaring at her. Zelda closed her eyes and looked away sadly.

Jigglypuff hopped over to the swordsman. "It's okay Link!" She said happily, "I'm going against the Ice Climbers next and we'll look for the other two in the crowd!"

"Okay…" Link said wearily, "I'll just sit down for a bit."

A while later, the battle had started and Link had taken a seat in the back of the room on a comfortable chair. Everyone else was enjoying themselves, rooting for the current fighters with shouts of, "Come on, Ice Climbers!" and "Go Jigglypuff!" or in Kirby's case, "Poyo!"

Link couldn't enjoy the fight. He sat there, sweating bullets. _Don't think about it. Don't think about it. _He repeated in his head over and over again. _Don't think-!_

THWUMP!

A large dictionary came out of nowhere and hit Link square on the forehead. Link looked up furiously. "Meta Knight! What's the big idea?! I barely even know you and you're throwing DICTIONARIES at me?!"

"That…was not me…" Meta Knight said quietly behind his cape.

"It was me!" Came a high-pitched voice and Toon Link popped out from behind Meta Knight. "And me." "And me." "Poyo!"

Link watched as Ness, Sammy, and Kirby popped up from behind him. Even a little yellow pikmin popped up and mimicked the "And me!" in a squeaky voice.

"How many people can you FIT on that thing?!" Link asked, nearly falling over.

Ness started counting. "Uhh…one, two, thwee, fow, five, six, eleven…"

"Just forget I asked." Link sighed, exasperated. "I'm going to go watch the brawl." He began to walk away, but paused and turned around, glaring at the group of children and the out-of-place Meta Knight. "Oh, and if Meta Knight asks you, leave him alone. I'm pretty sure he was on that bookshelf first."

"Okay, okay, just GO!" Toon Link snapped. "Sheeeesh!" Link rolled his eyes and walked away. It was then they heard someone else approaching.

"I hear Falco coming." Meta Knight told them, "Use the Smash Bros. Encyclopedia."

"Poyo!" Kirby giggled, jumping up and down. "Yeehaw!" The Pikmin squeaked.

"Sweet!" Toon Link howled. "It's huge!!"

"Just wike Sammy's head!" Ness pointed out.

"Yeah. Just the opposite of your brain." Sammy muttered.

Link walked over to where the rest of the smashers were crowded on the couches surrounding the wide screen. "Who's winning?" He asked a nearby Olimar.

"Jigglypuff won." He replied.

"Already?" Link said in amazement.

"Yeah, she…"

"Oh my gosh! Look!!" Samus screamed.

"What is it? What's happened?" Link asked the space warrior, rushing over.

"J…Jigglypuff just jumped in after the Ice Climbers!" She stammered.

Everyone grew quiet and waited, holding their breaths. The transporter gave a loud zap and Jigglypuff stood before them, holding onto her fellow smasher.

But that was the problem.

She was only holding onto _one_ smasher.

"Nng…" The Ice Climber murmured, opening tear-filled eyes.

"Oh no…" Zelda whispered, "_Nana_."

Popo pulled away from Jigglypuff's grip and looked at the puffball with wide eyes. "J…Jigglypuff? D-Did you save…?"

"I'm sorry, Popo." She said, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"No!" Popo cried out. "Nanaaa!! NANAAA!!"

* * *


	3. Searching the Mansion

Samus came walking downstairs where a bunch of curious smashers sat, looking from her to Jigglypuff and back again

**I named the Pikmin! They will be in later chapters. Here are their names:**

**Red Flower Pikmin: Peppermint**

**Yellow Leaf Pikmin: Snapdragon**

**Blue Bulb Pikmin: Bluebell**

**Purple Flower Pikmin: Lilac**

**White Bulb Pikmin: Teaberry**

**Enjoy the next chapter!**

Samus came walking downstairs where a bunch of curious smashers sat, looking from her to Jigglypuff and back again.

"I put Popo to bed. He's really upset." She said finally, after taking a seat.

"Yeah, but I think I'm permanently deaf!" Fox said irritably, his large ears twitching slightly. Snapdragon was experiencing the same thing. His ears were quivering and his eyes were wide and unseeing. "Snapdragon…are you okay…?" Olimar asked worriedly.

Link turned to the shaking balloon Pokemon in the corner. "Well…now it's time for you to tell us what happened…Jigglypuff."

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Okay…I'll try." She sighed, closing her eyes slowly.

_I was fighting the Ice Climbers and winning. Finally, I managed to get both of them off the edge. I waited for both of them to come back up. That's when I heard Nana scream…under the Pikmin stage, it was unnaturally dark. Before I could be transported, I jumped after them. It wasn't very far to fall until I came upon Popo…_

"_Ahhh!"_

"_Popo what's going on? What happened?"_

"_Nana…where's Nana? Where's my sister?!"_

"_Come on Popo, we're getting out of here!"_

_I didn't see Nana, so I grabbed Popo and began to fly up. That's when we were transported back here. That's all that pretty much happened…_

Jigglypuff met the gazes of each smasher, eyes wide and worried.

Link stood up. "That's it…there can be no other explanation. Someone is kidnapping the smashers." A small gasp from behind him made Link turn around. Meta Knight was sitting there, rigid, his eyes wide.

Link stared at him as everyone started panicking.

"Quick! Someone stop the next fight!"

"We can't. Wolf and Lucario have left."

"Eek!"

"No!"

Without a word, Meta Knight leaped from the bookshelf, landed on his feet, and began to dash out of the room. Link quickly placed himself in front of the short smasher.

"Okay. I know you know something and I want to find out." He said fiercely.

Meta Knight glared at him. After a moment of intense silence, the swordsman turned with a swish of his cape. "Come: We must not be heard."

Link looked on in satisfaction and followed Meta Knight in the direction of the kitchen. What they didn't know is that they were being watched.

"Aw man." A smaller form of Link complained, "Meta's gone. It won't be as fun now." He paused, and then smiled evilly, arching his eyebrows. "We should follow them!"

"But…that would be eavesdropping!" Sammy protested, resting his head on his hands.

"Let's go!" The younger Link said, hopping off the bookshelf with the small group following him. Ness looked over at his friend.

"Hey Sammy, ya think Popo would like ta come?"

"I don't think so." Sammy replied sadly, "Popo has lost…a very special friend of his."

Drama filled the room.

"Oh." Ness whispered. Then he snorted, "Hey, doesn't Popo mean butt in Gewman-?"

"That's enough outta _you_!"

Meanwhile in the kitchen…

"……………………………………………………………………"

Meta Knight sat there staring at Link.

Link stood there staring at Meta Knight.

"Uh…" Link started to say.

"Silence. I am thinking." Meta Knight said in his deep voice as his eyes turned green.

"WHOA!" Link shouted, "You're eyes just went from yellow to green! _Green_!"

"Yes, they do that sometimes." Meta Knight rolled his eyes that were now returning to yellow. "Now would you like to hear what I have to say or not?!"

"Um…sure!" Link said nervously, sweatdropping.

Meta Knight pulled out a box that read Time Machine. "Jump on in then." He said, for we all know that to have a flashback, you need a trusty Time Machine that's a box.

_I__ was steering my ship to this tournament when I read in the news some side stories on Peach's kidnap and Sonic's accident. It seemed suspicious so I went to check things out._

_First, I checked the hospital that Sonic was supposedly in._

_None of the nurses had seen the article. They swore that no patient with the name of Sonic was under their care. Not even my sword could convince them._

_I went to Greens Hill next—Sonic's home. His friends said they were positive he hadn't been hurt, but they did confirm that he had disappeared…giving up on Sonic; I looked into Peach's disappearance. I traveled to the BeanBean Kingdom where she had been kidnapped, just as the article said…_

"_What the heck are you? Some kind of pea…?"_

"_No…"_

"_Bow before his Royal Majesty!"_

_No luck._

"_Princess Peach? You're crazy! I only ever stole her voice! I never stole HER! You may be dismissed. And sorry about making you bow. It's a rule we have here…"_

"_It's fine. I'm used to serving fat, self-centered kings."_

_I left to question others. _

_However, no one else knew of these smasher's whereabouts and the tournament was fast approaching. It was time to give up my mission and start preparing. Yes, it felt like my quest had accomplished nothing—but deep down I knew that I had discovered something._

"The smashers are being taken…one by one…"

CRUNCH MUNCH CRUNCH

Link let out a high-pitched yell and grabbed Meta Knight out of surprise. He paused as the strange noises faded and they turned their attention towards the cabinet behind them. Link set Meta Knight back on the table and opened it.

"Ness!" He cried out.

Ness was huddled inside the cabinet, feasting on snacks such as chips and cookies. He swallowed a huge bite of food then smiled stupidly at Link and Meta Knight. "Mm!"

"How long were you in there?!" Meta Knight demanded.

"Don't you know that's eavesdropping?" Link accused.

Ness hopped out of the cabinet, shrugging his shoulders casually. "Don't wowwy! I didn't heaw a single thing you guys said!"

The two swordsmen sighed in relief.

"So…uh…" Ness lowered his voice, "Who do ya thinks kidnappin' all da smashers?"

"Ness!" Link growled furiously. Suddenly, Sammy, Toon Link, and Kirby appeared around the corner. Toon Link had a proud smirk on his face and said in a smug voice, "Hey Link. We were listening in and we wanna help!"

"I'm sorry!" Sammy burst out, "I tried to stop them, but they insisted on coming!"

Link narrowed his eyes. "You tried to stop them? Then why are you here?"

Sammy became teary-eyed and said in a wavering voice, "I gave in to the effects of peer pressure…"

Link rolled his eyes and looked at Toon Link. "No way!" He folded his arms, answering the young boy's question, "We're going to look around the mansion. You'll only get in the way!!"

"Let them come." Meta Knight said suddenly. "The more help there is, the better."

Link paused, but decided that the masked warrior did, in fact, have a good point. "Well…okay," He agreed reluctantly. "You can help us investigate."

"Yay!" Toon Link cheered.

Ness looked over at Meta Knight. "Uh…what aw we lookin' fow?"

"Anything suspicious." Meta Knight muttered.

"Right!" TL agreed, "So we'll split up! I'll take the 2nd floor and-!"

"Hold it, kid." His older self said, grabbing him by the hat and hoisting him up. "If anyone's going to search the girls rooms…it should be someone responsible."

"Ow!" Younger Link whined.

Link ignored him and said, "Meta Knight will search the bottom floor with Ness. Sammy will be on the 2nd floor, Kirby can take the 3rd floor, and I'll be on the 4th floor."

"Hey! What about me?!" Toon Link demanded.

Link sighed, "When I said I'll, I meant you and me."

"Oh…heheh…" TL giggled stupidly. "Okay, let's go!"

And they each left to their assigned floors. Ness beamed at Meta Knight, "Whewe to fiwst Mista Batman?"

Meta Knight ignored the rude nickname and said, "Since we've already been to the kitchen and Tournament Room, we need to check The Great Hall, the Dining Room, and the Lounge. You look in the lounge. I'll take the others."

"Okey-dokey!" Ness sang and ran into the room. He glanced around for about five seconds before saying to himself, "Nuthin' weiwd hewe! We'we good ta go! …So…now what?" He eyed the TV.

Beep! The TV clicked on as he threw himself down onto the couch and snatched up the remote. On the TV was a shot of Wario and Luigi beating the crap out of each other while the crowd cheered wildly.

"What's this?" Ness drawled lazily, "Some bowing touwnament? I ain't buyin'!" He changed the channel.

Click!

"Side by side it's Pichu and Pichu…"

Click!

"Bananaaaa Slama!"

Click!

"Well excuuuse me, Princess!"

Click!

Finally, after all those horrible butchered programs of perfectly good Nintendo games, Ness came across something that was actually decent.

"This is channel…DDD!!"

A poorly drawn picture of King DeDeDe and Kirby appeared.

"Kirby! You evil pink ball!" DeDeDe shouted.

"Now DAT'S mowe wike it!" Ness smiled.

Meanwhile, Meta Knight was actually doing a pretty good job searching out his rooms.

_I've searched all over, and still no sign of the missing smashers… _Meta Knight thought to himself, eyes darting back and forth. Suddenly he stopped, staring at a door set in front of him. He glanced down at the paper in his hand. "This door…isn't on the map…" He went to reach for the knob when there was a sudden shriek.

"Ahhh!" "Help!"

Meta Knight turned from the door and dashed away as the hysterical screaming continued. "Eeeek! Oh no!" "Ahhh!"

Meta Knight realized with horror that all the noise was coming from the lounge. "Ness!" He called out, charging into the room. "What is it-?!"

Ness turned around and invited, "Meta Knight! Come watch TV with meh!"

Meta Knight nearly fell over. Oh the TV was turned up too loud. The screaming was from a bunch of villagers as they ran from "the evil pink ball."

"DeDeDe! Inhale it!"

Meta Knight walked over, mildly interested. He sat down next to Ness on the comfortable couch and stared at the TV. "Hey, it's me…" He said quietly as a poorly drawn version of himself shouted, "Yes! That is Fire DeDeDe-! …I can't make that sound cool."

* * *

"POYO!" Kirby shrieked happily as he rampaged around the 3rd floor.

BANG BANG BANG

He crashed into everything he could reach. Plates shattered, lamps crumbled, and the beds were completely screwed. Kirby found a box labeled "Tasty Tweatz" in Ness and Sammy's room and proceeded to eat the entire hoard in one bite. The caffeine, chocolate, and other assorted candy made him hyper and twice as destructive.

* * *

"I feel like a stalker…" Sammy sighed, wandering around the small girl's floor. _One more room left! _He thought to himself encouragingly and entered the dark room. He turned on the light and let out a startled scream, "YAHH!! Popo!"

He had forgotten that Nana and Popo had shared a room on the girls' floor and was taken by total surprise.

Popo sat on his bed wiping tears and shooting a death glare at the intruder. "Why are you here?" He said in a threatening voice. "Did you come to steal Nana's stuff? Because you think she's…dead?"

Sammy put two hands up in defense and tried his best to give the ice climber a reassuring smile. "Er, no…I…uh…I…!"

Popo grabbed his hammer and sprang into the air, straight for Sammy. "You idiot!" He cried out, "I thought you were my friend!"

"Yeek!" Sammy shrieked, making a run for the door, but was two seconds too slow.

WHAM!

* * *

While all this was happening, the two Links were exploring the 4th floor.

"You picked the best floor to explore!" Toon Link said, popping a rhyme, "Another lounge, a balcony, Aerobics, and now a video game room!"

Link glared at himself. "We're not here to play video games!"

Little Link reached down and held up a game. "Ooh, look! It's Twilight Princess!"

A sheepish smile crossed Link's face. "Well, I suppose we could play a little…"

Without warning, Toon Link tossed the game away and he held up a different one instead. "Ha! Screw Twilight Princess!" He laughed like a maniac, "We're playing Wind Waker!"

Link couldn't conceal his immense anger. He snatched that gamecube game right out of the toon's hands and held it high above his head, snarling, "Why would anyone wanna play a dumb game with bad graphics over Twilight Princess?!"

"Y…You…" TL said in a shaky voice and Link realized his mistake.

Tears flooded the boy's eyes. "You think my graphics are…bad?" He whimpered. Link felt guilt wash over him. "No! That's not what I meant!" He said quickly, but it went unheard.

"Wahhh!" The poor bad-graphic youth sniffed.

Link bent down and gave him a reassuring pat. "Your graphics aren't bad, they're just…different."

* * *

**That's the end of this chapter! To see the Kirby episode Meta and Ness were watching, go to and search for Kirby episode 49. **

**Actually, I go off Meta Knight from the series more than the game because there's more to work with. That's where his little eye changing thing comes from. **


	4. Matrixes and Tasty Tweatz

**Ahh! FanFiction is being all stupid to me. In my last author's note I meant to say "go to veoh" (it's a site) but it took it out. Plus, it's also been taking the top of a line and putting it somewhere else twice! I need to pay more attention when I'm editing. In fact, it did it again, but I caught it this time. Please ignore any mistakes and thanks for all the wonderful reviews!**

"Wahahahaa! I am DeDeDe of Justice!" The TV blared in a stupid voice, which was undoubtedly DeDeDe's. Suddenly, there was a sharp click and the screen went blank.

Meta Knight whipped around angrily, and pointed an accusing finger. "You DARE to turn off the TV while I am watching?" He said threateningly, but then relaxed when he saw whom it was. "Oh, Link, it's you."

Link walked away from the group of kids he was with to stand over Meta Knight, looking down at him angrily. "Do you have any idea what the last ten minutes have been LIKE for me?"

Meta Knight stared at him. "Ah…no."

Link gestured to Toon Link. "First this runt bawls his eyes out when I state his game has bad graphics."

The runt beamed. "I cheered up when Link fell down the steps!"

"_WE DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT_!!" Link shouted at his miniature and the toon covered his mouth quickly. Link threw his hands over his face. "Then that darn puffball trashed all the rooms on the 3rd floor!"

"Poyo!" Kirby jumped up and down as if to say, "That's me!"

Link continued on, "Then I come down to find Sammy getting the crap beat outta him by Popo!" Sammy stood there nervously. There was a bruise on his face and his left eye was black. "And now, after cleaning up all these problems, I come down to find you two watching TV!"

"But…" Ness said quietly, "We wooked awound befowe we wawtched it…"

Link glared at them angrily, paying no heed to Ness's words.

Meta Knight sighed, "I taught Kirby to fight, not to sabotage people's rooms."

Link sighed, finally losing his hot temper. Instead his mouth curved downward and he shook his head sadly. "Well…I supposed things couldn't get any worse…"

Suddenly, Zero-Suit Samus walked into the room and said, "Oh, Link. There you are. Zelda's on rampage looking for you. She's mad you missed her fight." Then she walked out. Link slowly turned his head toward Meta Knight, his eye twitching slightly.

"Meta Knight, quick. Should I flee the tournament or commit suicide and hope to be reincarnated in the next year?"

"Over Zelda? Maybe both."

"Liiink!" Came a nearby voice.

"Too late!" Link whimpered.

Zelda stormed into the lounge. She did not look the least bit happy. "How could you?!" She burst out, standing in front of Link. "The one time I defeat Ganondork _without_ your butt, you aren't there to watch! What's your problem Link? Why do you have to be so selfish?!"

It was then…that Link snapped. But not entirely.

"W…Well…WELL EXCUUUSE ME, PRINCESS!" He said in the most annoying voice that he could muster, causing the Princess to nearly fall over. Suddenly, there was a hand gripping his shoulder.

"…Don't ever say that again." Meta Knight murmured.

Link sweatdropped. "I, er, didn't plan to…"

Zelda looked scarred for life. "For my sake, I hope you won't."

"Yeah…" Link said sheepishly. "Anyways, Zelda, I had a good reason to miss your match. I was looking for clues that might lead to the smashers!"

Zelda threw back her hair and rolled her eyes. "Well, while you were playing detective, the rest of us formulated somewhat of a plan."

"Sweet!" Link cried suddenly. "What is it?"

"We're going to finish the matches for today to avoid it getting out to the news. Then we'll pause the tournament however long we need to get the others back. If all goes well, we can continue fighting!"

When she finished, a loud screech came from the Tournament Room. Zelda clasped her hands. "That sounds like Diddy. Donkey Kong must have lost."

Toon Link stared at the ceiling thoughtfully, not listening to half of what Zelda was saying. "Speaking of which, I think my fight is sometime after Donkey's…"

Link crossed his arms. "That would be _now_, oh wise one."

TL nearly jumped so high that he hit his head on the ceiling. Not really. But he sure was shocked. He waved his arms frantically and shouted, "What?! B-But I'm not ready yet! What if I go over the edge? What if I _die_?!"

"Hey, it'd be nice and quiet then…" His older version joked.

"I'm gonna die!" He panicked, "I don't even know who my opponent is!"

Sammy held up a sheet of paper, which was apparently the tournament order. "You're up against Yoshi."

Little Link stopped in his tracks. "Yoshi…?" He stood there dumbly for a minute before his mouth curved into a smirk. "Heh!" He turned away and strode out of the room.

"That sure boosted his confidence." Link pointed out.

"Let's go watch the match!" Zelda said, smiling a friendly, but threatening smile that dared him to refuse. Link got the message.

"Meta Knight, give Sammy some first aid, then take them to clean up the rooms." He left to follow Zelda into the next room over.

Meta Knight sighed.

"Come." He said to the two boys, first leading them to the item cabinet to get a heart container, then taking them upstairs to clean.

Meanwhile, the same announcer declared, "Up next we have Yoshi and Toon Link fighting!" The same crowd cheered again. It was beginning to get old. Same with the Yoshi vs. Toon Link screen that popped up. Instead of announcing who was fighting, it seemed to now be courting death for one or the other.

The stage device spun rapidly and stopped on Skyworld. Immediately afterward, the contestants appeared on that stage.

"Ready…GO!"

Wind Waker Link stood up on the cloud he had appeared on. _Yoshi's moves are weak and predictable…_He tried to tell himself in an effort to boost his confidence. _I've got this! _

POP

An egg hit Link on the head and popped. The toon looked at the green dinosaur aggressively and snarled, "Hey, you idiot! Stop throwing eggs at me when I'm trying to think!"

Yoshi responded with a barrage of eggs that came flying in TL's direction. He crouched and held up his shield.

SPLAT SPLAT SPLOT SPLORT

Link looked at his newly decorated shield with disgust. "It never fails. I just washed and waxed this thing…" Then he looked up and met Yoshi's gaze. "Oh, _now_ it's on!" He hissed evilly. He unleashed a fast spinning motion of the sword, nearly slicing the dinosaur to bits.

Yoshi took off sprinting to the other side of Skyworld. Link stood there, bewildered. "What the…get back here, coward!" He chased Yoshi and they…well…they brawled, Toon Link screaming all the way.

"I'm gonna rip out your entrails and spread them across the mansion! I'll wipe that beep smirk off your beep face!" A series of censored noises came from the TV. "Stop throwing beepin eggs ya beep beep! Hahaha! I'll show you! Beeeeeeep! Wahahahahahaha-huh?"

While TL had been ranting, Yoshi had abruptly turned around and shot out his tongue, catching the boy by surprise. The next moment, and little Link was in an egg that was very dark. He felt the edges nervously and began to sweat.

"Wh…What the-?!" He wondered what had just happened. Then he felt himself begin to roll around and around inside the egg as Yoshi the Dinosaur guided him towards the edge with pleasure. He realized it with a burst of horror. "Get me outta this egg, ya freak! I mean…please…? P-Please, I don't wanna diiie!" He cried out, his brave courage being reduced to but a fragment. "Not the edge!" He shrieked, his voice muffled from the shell as he struggled to get out. "Not over the edge!"

"Yoshi?" Yoshi questioned and turned around. A loud sizzling sound was coming from somewhere behind him. Then he noticed the bob-omb. The scene turned into a matrix. Yoshi's eyes widened in fear as the item slowly sped towards him. He turned to jump, but he was too late. The matrix ended when the bomb exploded as it made contact.

Yoshi was sent flying off the edge of Skyworld, letting out a long squeal. He could not get back and tumbled off the edge.

Meanwhile, the green-spotted egg sat there, waiting for its end. "…Huh?" In a flash, it was back inside the mansion. "Did I just feel a matrix?" The egg began to crack and out popped…Porky! No, it was Toon Link. Everyone stared at him nervously. He stared right back at them.

"Oh, hey, I won…" He said, wide-eyed.

"Uh…good job Link…" "Yeah…way to go…?" Some people said.

Zelda approached him, trying to smile, but was failing miserably at doing so. "That's quite a colorful vocabulary you have there, Linky. I hope your older self didn't teach you those words?" She said carefully.

"Huh? No!" A big, innocent smile crossed the young boy's face. "My grandma taught me!"

"…"

"Hey Snake, guess what…?" He said, leaving Zelda to stand there, an unreadable expression upon her face.

Link—the Twilight Princess version—stood away from the others, his arms folded intently. He closed his eyes, thinking of the long day he was having. He let out the softest of sighs and muttered slowly to himself, "So far we've lost Mario, Pikachu, Nana, Wolf, Luigi, Ganondorf, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi. Ness is fighting Snake next…"

Link thought of Snake's skill. The assassin had so many weapons and so much power on his side and Ness had so little…brain cells…on his side. Link shook his head, feeling slightly guilty for thinking such a thing. But he couldn't help it. "There's no way Ness is going to win." He pointed out to no one in particular.

"Poor little guy…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Ness was upstairs cleaning his room, throwing a fit. He tossed an empty box labeled "Tasty Tweatz" across the room. "Dat fweakin' wittle puffball!" He snarled, "He wiww wue da day he took ma tasty tweats fwom meh!" Ness managed to hit Sammy in the head with the box and also make Clipit the Office Assistant have a heart attack from too many spelling errors in his vocabulary.

Sammy just brushed it off and turned his attention to the knock at the door. He opened it and a light orange Waddle Doo came rushing in. In one hand, he clutched a miniature sword, while he waved the other around in front of the psychic boys' faces.

"Urgent news, sir! Sir Ness is supposed to come down for his tournament battle _now_!"

Ness looked at the puffball curiously. "What touwnament?"

Sammy ignored him. "Hey, aren't you King DeDeDe's servant?"

The Waddle Doo saluted him. "Yes, sir! But I am currently serving all of the smashers along with the rest of my men!" Suddenly, the Waddle looked past Sammy at Ness, who was still trying to figure out what this "tournament" thing was. He waddled over to him.

"Sir, you're needed at the transporter right now!"

Ness arched an eyebrow, even though he had none. "Now? As in today?"

"Yes sir, now means today!"

"Wait…why didn't anyone tell me this?"

"I'm telling you right _now_, sir!" The servant was getting frantic.

Ness threw his arms into the air. "Weww why didn'tcha say so! Wet's go!!"

Sammy sweatdropped, thinking, _Ness's is a hopeless case._

Ness started running frantically around the room, shouting "Whewe's ma backpack? I need ma backpack!" He started trashing it all over again, when he had just set it by the door a moment ago. He realized this and put it on, without bothering to pick up the huge mess he had recreated. He headed for the door. "Bye Sammy!"

"…Goodbye Ness…" The door slammed. Sammy's features saddened.

"Go." Said a deep voice.

"Mr. Meta Knight!" Sammy exclaimed.

"Go watch your brother. I will finish cleaning."

Sammy didn't point out Meta Knight's mistake that he wasn't his brother. He just tried to look as if nothing was wrong. "It's best I don't. He won't win anyways."

"Are you sure about that?" Meta Knight questioned. "If one smasher was the best, we wouldn't be here. We all have flaws and we all have advantages. Ness has just as much chance at winning as Snake does."

Sammy tipped his head to one side, staring at Meta Knight's face. "Link was right." He said, amused. "Your eyes changed to green…"

"That's not the point…" The knight said patiently. "Now go!"

Sammy beamed and ran out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "Okay! Thanks Meta Knight!"

Meta stood quietly for a moment then turned around, speaking fiercely. "It's such a big mess…and you're going to clean all of it! Kirby!"

"Poyo…" Kirby moaned, collapsing onto the floor.

Meanwhile, the battle had started. Ness used P.K. Teleport to appear on the stage.

He shook off the ashes and observed his surroundings. "Huh? Shadow Moses Iwand?" He was too busy listening to himself talk to hear the announcer start his battle. Snake suddenly appeared in front of him, jumping up from the lower part of the stage to stand in front of Ness. He looked tall and menacing next to the goofy-looking psychic.

"Today, kid, one of us has to join the rest of the missing smashers." He told Ness in his mysterious voice. "And it's not gonna be me."

Ness looked at him quizzically. "Weww who's it going to be then?"

"You!" Snake said, dumbfounded by the fact of this kid's stupidity.

He raised a fist and went to punch him. Ness just leaped backwards, like it was some kind of game. "Weee!" He shouted joyously.

"Why you-!" The assassin didn't like this kid. He noticed a cracker launcher on the ground and snatched it up in the blink of an eye. "Taste cannon kid!" He fired one shot after the other, the launcher making loud "blam blam blam" noises.

Ness sailed through the air, twisting and turning through the wild shots, his mouth hanging open happily. Snake continued to fire until he ran out of ammo. He hadn't hit him with a single shot! This put him in a foul mood.

"You diabolical little monster!" He hissed.

Ness heard him. "Diabowical?" He pulled out a dictionary from the middle of nowhere. "Wet me wook dat up…" Yes, it is pretty strange to be looking up definitions in the middle of a life-or-death situation. (Or as far as we know.)

Snake growled, "You think you're so good…huh, kid? Well just try to dodge this! A heat-seeking missile!" He shot the missile at the boy and steered it right toward him. Ness just stood there. "You're not even going to try? I don't blame you…"

Ness's eyes glinted strangely. Suddenly, he was a blur of blue and white. The missile defused, falling to the ground harmlessly.

"That's P.S.I. Magnet! He reflected the attack!" Sammy screeched, back in the tournament room. "Now he's using P.K. Fire! C'mon Ness! Now he's using P.K. Thunder! Yeah!"

"I can't tell if he's telling us Ness's attacks or yelling to himself." Link whispered to Zelda.

Back on the battlefield, Snake was starting to panic. Ness had gone into battle mode and was beginning to pwn him. If the assassin weren't so afraid of the fact that he would lose and never come back, he would have been able to keep his cool and fight Ness head to head, but fear was starting to overcome him. Thoughts raced through his head, one after the other.

_I'm doomed! I haven't landed a single blow and he's winning!_

Snake paused for a long moment. Suddenly, his fear turned to anger. He was ready to take extreme measures to stay away from whatever fate met the losing smashers. Snake wasn't sure what that fate was, but he was almost certain it was death.

He stepped towards Ness. "Fine. If I'm going to die…then I'm takin' you with me!!"

* * *

**Oh noes! What's going to happen to Ness? What's going to happen to Snake? Heck, only the next chapter will tell us. **


	5. A Whole New Level of Suck

**Hey! I put up a character poll in my profile! Check it out and vote for your favorite characters in my story! And just so you know I'm going on vacation tomorrow so this will be on hold a while. Good thing this one doesn't have a cliffhanger ending.  
**

"No!" Sammy screamed, as Snake snatched Ness off the ground and began to run off stage with him. "Ness!!"

Ike looked angrily at the TV, scowling, "He can't do that!" "Oh no…" Samus frowned.

Snake laughed...diabolically. Then he was met with a bat to the face. He dropped Ness at the sudden pain. Ness stood there, a threatening look on his face as he tucked his bat away. Snake paused. "Wh…What the-?!"

"P.K. Thunda!" Ness shouted. A thin stream of electricity burst from Ness's fingertips and flew about in the air. Ness looked on, confused. "Ohh, uh, wait, how do you contwol this thing? Uh…"

He accidentally twisted it the wrong way and was hit with his own attack! He let out a yell as he was thrown at Snake, becoming a human projectile. Snake was literally shocked and the blow threw him off the stage. Although there was nowhere to fall, he had definitely lost.

"Snake is out of bounds…" The speaker clarified. "Ness wins!"

"WOO!" Ness rejoiced. He couldn't have looked any happier if tasty tweats had started raining down from the sky right then and there. Well, maybe he could have…

* * *

"Crud! Why's it so dark back here?" Snake growled. He was lying on the ground, his muscles throbbing. He forced himself to his feet. Behind him, someone's eyes glowed red. He turned around, sensing their presence.

"Who's there?" He demanded. Then his eyes widened. "You…? I thought you were dead!"

* * *

"I guess Snake is gone." Link sighed.

"But look how happy they are!" Samus pointed out. "I'm glad it was Ness…"

Sammy had been absolutely ecstatic when Ness had returned. He ran up to him and gave him a friendly hug, saying, "Ness, I'm so happy!" while Ness just thought about getting something to eat. Sammy turned and rushed off, calling out, "I'm gonna go tell Meta Knight!"

"I'm gonna go to da kitchen…" Ness replied, looking suspicious.

Sammy entered the 3rd floor and yelled down the empty hallway, "Mr. Meta Knight?"

"In here, Sammy." Came a muffled voice from one of the rooms. Sammy opened the door and walked in.

"Wow, you guys have really been working hard! Is this one of the last rooms?"

"Yes, but never mind that." Meta Knight coughed, for he had been sitting around making Kirby do all the work most of the time. "How did Ness do?"

Sammy beamed. "You were right! He won!"

Meta Knight's eyes shone pink. "Heh…that's good…"

Sammy giggled like a little girl. "Heehee…now your eyes are _pink_!"

"You are having way too much fun with this." Meta Knight sighed. "If you must know, my eyes change colors to match my emotions. Green is when I'm thinking or serious, pink is when I'm amused, and blue is when I'm happy. Nothing funny about it."

Sammy frowned and said, "But…your eyes are almost always yellow. You must not feel many emotions…"

Meta Knight looked away. "True…"

"Ma eyes awe always bwue so I'm always happy!"

Sammy looked over at Ness. "When did you get here?"

Suddenly they heard a loud sniffing. They looked towards the open door and saw a wolf padding by, nose to the ground. Sammy let out a yell.

"Hi doggy!" Ness said, like some retard.

Meta's eyes were wide with surprise, but he relaxed after a moment. "Ah, Link. Care to tell us why you are breaking the rules by becoming a wolf?"

Link focused his crystal blue wolf eyes on him and glared.

"Don't tell me you're still investigating!" Meta Knight continued.

Sammy stopped looking so frightened and shook his head in relief. "Oh…oh that's Link!" The wolf turned black, making Sammy cry out a little. Pieces of dark matter flew off of him. He was turning back into a human.

He stood up and held his head. "I can't stop! I'm obsessed-I gotta know who's doing it!"

"Ahh! Three days! Three days!" Toon Link mimicked, suddenly appearing and acting as if he were from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

Link shot him a look. "Stop making fun of me."

Meta Knight said suddenly, "Oh, Link, that reminds me…I found a door that wasn't on the map…"

The stressed Hylian didn't look pleased at all. "You're telling me this now?! Let's go check it out!"

Meta Knight led the way, his large shoes making tapping noises. "It's down here on the 1st floor." He took them to the strange door and stood in front of it. "Here it is."

Link looked worried. "Oh…hmm."

Meta Knight stared at him and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Well, yeah." Link said, "I kinda know whose room this is. It's Master Hand's room."

"Master Hand?!" Meta Knight exclaimed.

Ness cleared his throat. "Masta Hand is a giant hand dat cweated the smash bwos. Touwnament and looks afta the smashas while they stay in his mansion!"

Meta Knight looked annoyed, scowling, "I _know _who Master Hand is!"

Sammy looked annoyed too. "Where'd you learn history? A cereal box?"

Ness just smiled. Toon Link, who had been quiet up till this point, finally spoke up. "Hey, Link. I just realized…if Master Hand looks after us, why hasn't anyone asked for help?" Link looked nervous at his words.

"Well, he's always been a bit intimidating. Plus he makes us fight him a lot…so that's probably why…"

"We should still ask." Sammy pointed out reasonably.

Link nodded. "You're right. Let's go in." He grabbed the doorknob to open it. It rattled. "Oh, it's locked. Guess we'll have to try some other-!"

CRASH!

There was a sound of splintering wood. Link stared at the huge hole in the door. Ness put his bat away. "Afta you." Link just stood there. Meta Knight hopped through the hole and into the door.

"Uh…Master Hand?" Link called into the room nervously. He slowly climbed inside. "Ness is sorry about the door!"

"Not weally!" Ness shouted.

"Shut up Ness!"

The other three ignored the bickering. "I don't think he's here." Sammy said quietly.

"It seems that Master Hand was also taken…" Meta Knight murmured.

"Nah, you're jumping to conclusions." Toon Link responded.

Link closed his eyes. "No, Toon Link…I think Meta Knight's right." He paused a long time, before finally saying, "I've been such an idiot…"

_The last two years, Master Hand had always been there to give us a speech before the tournament. I should have realized something was wrong…I should have never gone out there to fight Mario…_

A loud, obnoxious squeaking filled the room. Everyone turned their attention towards Ness. Link tried not to lose his cool. "Ness, what are you doing? I'm trying to have a flashback here."

Ness let go of the handle on a huge trunk. "I wike making this twunk squeak!

Link grabbed his arm and dragged him away from it. "Well, don't. You'll break it."

"But I wannaaa!" He whined. "Nooo!"

Everyone filed out of the hole in the door and left to head back to the Tournament Room where everyone was watching the matches quietly.

"Now what? Master Hand is gone…" Link muttered. "I don't know what to do next…"

"Link. Remain calm and listen to me." Meta said in his deep, soothing voice. "Recall that plan that Zelda told you…"

"Oh…oh yeah." Link said, for he had forgotten all about that.

Ness, who was being much more of an optimist, turned to his friend Sammy. "Weww, you'we havin' youw fight soon! Wet's go twain with Mista Sandbag!"

"Oh yeah!" Sammy replied, "Uh…okay."

"I guess I'll go watch the rest of the matches!" Link sighed. Kirby joined him in doing that, for he was done cleaning. "Poyo!" "Me three!" Toon Link agreed.

* * *

While the matches continued, Sammy warmed up with Ness in the Aerobics Room upstairs. He kicked the Sandbag repeatedly, refining his moves and hits.

"Go Sammy!" Ness cheered.

Suddenly, the Sandbag spoke up. "Your kicks are weak. Your fighting skills are an epic failure. You must accept the fact that you suck."

The punching bag had been programmed by Master Hand to provoke trainers into attacking with all their might. Most of the time, the Sandbag would throw out insults, no matter how good the smasher was.

Sammy couldn't take it well. He waved his arms frantically. "I suck? I don't suck!"

"Yes, you suck indeed." It replied evenly.

"Ness, do I suck? Tell the Sandbag I don't suck!" Sammy whimpered.

"He doesn't suck…" Ness said in a monotone voice, once more daydreaming about his beloved food.

Sammy crossed his arms as if he had just won an argument. "See? Ness says I don't suck, so I don't suck!"

"You are attempting to converse with an inanimate object. This proves that you not only suck, but are partially insane."

"What?! But…But…"

"Sammy!" Ness shouted, coming out of his daydream. "I wanna give it a go!"

"Be my guest." Sammy huffed, stepping away from the bag of sand.

"P.K. Flash!" Ness cried out in his weird voice and the room lit up green. Sandbag fell over, but stood up after a moment.

"Congratulations!" It said in its blank voice. "You just reached a whole new level of suck! I thought the blonde was the most suckish thing in the mansion, but I see I was wrong!"

Ness was totally oblivious. "Thanks, I am pwetty good at suckin' wowwy pops!"

Sammy let out a ferocious growl. "Don't tell Ness he sucks! HRAAAA!!" He jumped Sandbag and started biting and clawing at whatever part he could reach, all the while being in front of a sign that read "Training Room: Please respect the equipment. Thank you!"

The door to the room opened and in stepped MK.

"Oh! Hey thewe Mista Meta Knight!" Ness said, ignoring the outrageous scene behind him. Meta Knight just stared.

"…Hello Ness…" The knight stepped forward to where Sammy was wrestling the inanimate bag. "Sammy, don't tell me you let Sandbag provoke you."

Sammy stopped fighting and blushed. The Sandbag flopped onto its side.

Meta turned away and reminded him, "Well, come on. Your match is next."

"Uh…okay." Sammy got up, still looking embarrassed. He went to follow the puffball out, but a voice called after him.

"Sammy."

Sammy turned around to face the Sandbag.

"What?"

"You still suck."

Sammy slammed the door and left.

* * *

Sammy stood nervously by the transporter as the last fight finished. He listened to other smashers talking about him.

"Sammy's going against Captain Falcon?"

"He doesn't stand a chance."

"That's what you said about Ness."

"Haha! Sammy's a girly little wimp!"

Sammy glared at Ike, DeDeDe, and Wario. "Hey!" He screeched in a high, nervous voice, "If you're gonna talk about other people behind their backs, at least do it _quietly_!"

They sweatdropped.

"Hey wuss." Came a confident voice. Sammy jumped and looked behind him to see the arrogant Captain Falcon. "Ready to show me your moves?" The arrogant, _annoying _Captain Falcon.

Sammy was sweating nervously. "Err…N-Not really. No." He stammered.

Captain Falcon swept him off his feet, and ran with him into the transporter. "C'mon kid! Let's do this!"

"Wait!" Sammy shrieked, as he felt himself being sent away. _I didn't even get to say goodbye to Ness!_

Sammy opened his eyes to see he was in Port Town Aero Drive. He nearly collapsed. "Oh no! We're on the smallest stage!"

C Falcon laughed in his stupid voice, "Hehe. I hacked into the system to make it my stage. My race track is awesome."

Cars zoomed by as the platform sped along. "You ready for this?" He challenged.

Sammy didn't answer.

"Ready?" The announcer blared, "GO!"

Captain Falcon drew back a fist. "Faaalcooon-!"

"GAAK! P.K. Fire P.K. Fire P.K. Fire P.K. Fire P.K. Fire P.K. Fire!" Sammy said really fast, faster than the Captain's slow, powerful, Falcon Punch.

The fire blew Falcon back and singed him. "Ack! Hey, kid, what're you doin'? Stop that! Ackplbth!" He went back so far, he lost his footing and plummeted over the edge. He hit the road with a loud thump, was hit by a car, and flew off stage.

Sammy sat there, dumbfounded. "Huh?" He was teleported back to the mansion right away. He climbed out of the transporter.

"Yay, I did it! I can't believe it!" He cheered.

Ike held up a stopwatch and stared at it. "Wow…9.4 seconds…that's gotta be a record."

Ness joined Sammy and they celebrated. They had gotten through the day together! Now everything would be resolved! But someone wasn't too happy. Someone who had an obsession with attacking little boys. Someone besides Pokemon Trainer.

Wario leered at them. "You weaklings will get what's comin' to ya!" He said fiercely.

"W…Wario…" Sammy said, a little shaky.

Ness noticed his buddy's fear. "I know what's comin' to us!" He said warmly, shooting a cold glance at Wario. "A big bowl of ice cweam!"

Wario scowled. Sammy smiled a little. Ness grabbed him by the foot and dragged him off towards the kitchen, happy to have his friend with him.

* * *


	6. Nothing They Can Do

**Sorry, this chapter's a tad short, but I really wanted to end it on the part I left it at. Tell me what you think.**

As the battles raged on, more and more smashers fell into the darkness and didn't come back. Their numbers declined, and eventually it was up to the second to last battle. Less than half of the smashers had survived.

Link stood in the corner. He didn't feel like talking to anyone. Instead, he would quietly observe the fights. Each time someone went over the edge, he would watch for a clue as to why they were disappearing—a shadow in the blackness, a flaw in the transporter—anything. But as Jigglypuff had said, they were most likely being taken.

Link crossed his arms, leaning slightly on the wall behind him. "Let's see…" He murmured, "Pit is going against R.O.B. and then the last battle will be Ike and Meta Knight." He then noticed Meta Knight standing not too far off. He hoped the swordsman hadn't heard him talking to himself.

"Good luck, by the way…" He said quickly.

"I will not need it." Meta Knight said, suddenly brandishing a sword from the depths of his cape. It sparked electricity before coming into a solid shape. He held it high above his head, which wasn't very high. "This is the sacred sword Galaxia, sword of the galaxies!"

Link held up his own sword. "This is the Master Sword, the Sword of Time!" Meta Knight just looked at him. He nearly fell over. "Not that you probably care anyways."

"No…I don't." Meta said flat out.

Link laughed nervously as a bunch of fan girl screams erupted into the room. "Sounds like Pit won, judging by the fan girl screams on the TV…have fun out there, Meta Knight." Link realized, as soon as he said it, that it was stupid. Could _you _have fun with an uncertain fate hanging over your head? One that might even be death?

Meta Knight didn't respond to Link's foolish words. He just turned away and stepped into the transporter. Ike followed soon after, trying to look confident. As soon as both were inside, the stage-chooser spun like mad. It slowed to a stop and rested on Spear Pillar.

The usual vs. sign came up, and then it switched to a shot of Ike and Meta Knight facing each other, waiting for the signal to start.

_Spear Pillar…_ Meta Knight mused to himself. _This should be interesting…_

Then the battle started.

Meta looked up just in time to see Ike unleashing Aether just above his head. Ike let out a fierce roar and drove the sword downwards. Meta Knight rolled backwards, and got up quickly to block another attack from the Fire Emblem mercenary.

Sword met sword.

Galaxia met Ragnell.

Meta Knight was focused on staying away from Ike's blade. So focused that, when he looked up, he was surprised to see the desperate look in Ike's eyes. Meta understood this look. All day, Ike had to see the smashers go, one by one, waiting for the last battle, that would be his. He had to sit still all day and let the anxiety pile upon him.

"Meta Knight!" He spoke in a nervous voice, as he countered an attack from Galaxia. "I really don't want to do this! Not after all we've been through in the Subspace Emissary!"

Meta Knight then realized there was another reason for Ike's desperate gaze. They had been somewhat of friends during Subspace.

He had traveled the wastelands with Marth and Ike. Together, they brought Galleom down. They had also fought many armies of the dark matter. After Meta Knight had rescued Sammy and Red the Pokemon Trainer, they had gone separate ways.

Meta Knight was brought back to reality as they pressed their swords against one another, each trying to overpower the other. Ike's push slackened as he said once more, "Please, Meta Knight…can't you just let me win?!"

Suddenly, Meta Knight's pity washed away and he became irritated. Is that what this was about? Meta Knight glared at him.

"No."

Then he sprouted his wings. He flew up into the air, high above Ike, Their swords left each other with a loud scrape.

"Meta Knight has wings?!" Sammy said out of shock. A moment later, he realized he was stupid for forgetting. Duh! Meta Knight had flown out and rescued him. He wondered why he had forgotten. Was it because the knight had kept his wings out of sight until this moment? He continued to watch the TV.

Toon Link had heard Sammy's outburst. "Ha!" He sneered, "You didn't know that?" Even though he hadn't known it either, because he hadn't seen Meta in Subspace emissary, nor had he saw Meta Knight use his wings in the mansion.

As the two swordsmen continued their fight, a light shimmered behind them and in a puff of smoke, a large legendary Pokemon stood before them on four legs. The two stopped to get out of its way as it leaped forward at them to release an attack.

"Wow!" Jigglypuff gasped.

Toon Link looked confused. He had only ever seen Palkia at Spear Pillar. "Jigglypuff, what is that? What's it doing there?"

"That's Dialga, the legendary Pokemon that lives at Spear Pillar! And if you ask me…" They focused their attention on the TV, watching Dialga glare at the two fighters, as they restarted their match, ignoring the Pokemon.

"He looks pretty ticked to have them on his territory."

"Meta Knight! Why won't you listen to me?" Ike said again, loud enough for only them two to hear. Finally, Meta answered his question.

"I must help protect everyone. So I must stay."

Ike's eyes widened defensively. "But…But I can stay too!!"

Then he took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I fight for my FRIENDS!"

"…"

"W-What I meant to say was…you're my friend and I don't wanna fight you."

Meta Knight pointed his sword at him. "Then I will _make _you!" He flew at him and they slashed and tore at each other, each going back for more.

Back in the tournament room, the smashers were watching the intense fight.

"Ike is so slow." Toon Link pointed out. "Meta Knight's gonna win!"

Sammy didn't look nearly as optimistic. "Yes, but if Ike manages to hit him, he'll go flying!" Ness was ignoring what was going on altogether.

"Sammy I want bat wings!"

Jigglypuff was nearly having a heart attack. "Urghh…Meta Knight!!" She whimpered.

Link laughed inwardly. Jigglypuff was obsessed with the male puffballs. "He'll be fine!" He reassured her. Kirby looked confident too.

Back on the stage, Meta Knight was trying to suck Ike into his tornado while Ike leaped over him. Meta Knight slowed to a halt and looked around.

_Where did he-?_

Ike came up from behind him and started powering up his sword.

"I'm really sorry about this." Meta Knight turned around and managed to jump back a little before Ike brought down his attack. It grazed him and he cried out in pain as he nearly flew off the stage. As he regained himself, a loud shriek filled the air.

Meta Knight watched as Dialga released a beam of energy right at Ike!

"Look out!" Meta shouted and pushed him out of the way. Ike looked confused.

"That almost hit me…you saved me! But…why?" Meta Knight grabbed Ike while he was caught off guard. He scoured his bat claws along Ike's body. The swordsman cringed in pain and realized his mistake.

"I'll give you the honor of being defeated by me instead of some pathetic Pokemon." Meta Knight said in his deep voice. Then he leaped high into the air. In the next two seconds, it was over.

He brought Ike crashing to the ground and that was it. Ike disappeared over the edge, yelling. Meta Knight stood over him, wings spread, watching as he won the last battle of the day.

Lightning crackled behind him and the stars shone. Then he disappeared, back to the mansion. The smashers watched as the scene switched from the dark stage to the studio where the announcer sat at a desk, beaming behind his sunglasses.

"Wow! That was one exciting match!" He exclaimed. "We're going to try to get an interview later…but the Smash Mansion is still shut up as ever! So we've hired a team to break down their doors!"

A lady quickly came on the set and whispered something in his ear. "Oh…ah…whoops. Yeah, that's not good." She left and he smiled nervously. "Ah…my assistant tells me that the smashers are probably watching this program right now, so uh…we're just going to break to a commercial!" The screen blinked out and switched to a commercial advertising toothpaste.

Everyone sweatdropped.

"I don't get it…" Ness said obliviously.

Link suddenly stood up finally ready to take charge. "That's it! Stop the tournament! It's time to figure out who's behind all this. Let's check the transporter fir-!"

"But I'm hungwyyy!" Ness moaned, louder than Link's demands. He and Kirby were tilting their heads to the ceiling, whining like starving baby robins. "Poyooo!" Kirby echoed Ness as they continued to complain.

Link grimaced. "Okay, _fine_. You guys go eat while Zelda and I look at the transporter. Everyone ran out of the room hungrily with Sammy trailing behind with a frenzied, "Guys! Wait up!"

Link bent down angrily next to the transporter. Couldn't they stop thinking about their stomachs for one second? What about rescuing the rest of the smashers?! He opened a compartment in the side and looked at the mess of wires, switches, and other objects. According to him, nothing seemed wrong, but he wasn't so sure since he wasn't the best with complicated electronics.

Zelda stood behind him, trying to see inside. "Is there anything wrong with it, Link?"

Link shook his head. "If there is, I can't fix it. Only Master Hand can."

Zelda didn't answer. She didn't know how to respond.

Suddenly, a loud scream came from the kitchen.

"That's Sammy!" Link shouted with dread. He took out his sword and shield and went running towards the kitchen, Zelda not too far behind.

"What is it?" He yelled as he came inside to where the smashers were gathered around the little psychic. "What's going on?!"

The smashers parted to reveal Sammy sitting on the ground, Ness bent over him with a worried look on his face. Sammy was shaking wildly. "Link…" He rasped. He went to hold up a piece of paper, but his hand was trembling so much he dropped it.

Link read the paper as it fluttered to the ground.

_Continue the tournament or the other smashers will __die__!_

Link suddenly felt his legs numb. He swayed slightly on his feet, his head hurting, and his eyes unfocused. Everyone was watching him.

"Link…" Zelda whispered, "What do we do?"

He wished he didn't have to answer that. But he knew he had to, for all of them.

"There's nothing we _can _do…"

He looked at all of the remaining smashers—the survivors. The ones who had pulled through the first day.

Zelda, Pit, Mr. Game and Watch, Bowser, Sammy, Ness, Pokemon Trainer, Wario, Kirby, Olimar, Jigglypuff, King DeDeDe, Lucario, Toon Link, Meta Knight, and somehow, Popo…

They were the ones who had gotten through day one. They were the ones that would have to experience more of this chaos.

There was nothing they could do…

"We have to continue the tournament."

* * *


	7. How to Forget Ones Worries

**This chapter is a bit more lighthearted than the others, since they were pretty serious. Enjoy! Please review. I haven't gotten many reviews lately and I'd like to know people are reading this...otherwise I guess I'm just writing this for nothing. Comic wise, I just started the fourth and final one.  
**

Later that night, a certain blonde-haired boy was having trouble sleeping. He sat in the bottom part of a bunk, shivering. He wore blue and white, vertical striped pajamas with a matching nightcap. He clutched the covers of his bed around him, but that didn't stop him from shaking.

"It's so dark…" Sammy whimpered under his breath. He sat there, thinking up ways for someone to hide out in the darkness, coming closer and closer…

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

He climbed out of his bed and ascended the ladder leading up to the top bunk. He peered nervously over it, hoping to not disturb his sleeping companion.

Ness wore his hat—Ness _always _wore his hat. He was also wearing his black Mr. Saturn T-shirt along with some boxers with pictures of hearts and Mr. Saturns on it.

"Ness…" Sammy whispered, "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Banana took ma fweakin' tasty tweats…" Ness grumbled in reply, dead asleep.

Sammy reached forward and poked him. "Ness?" Ness sat up, and glared at Sammy with blank, half-closed eyes. Ness's expression freaked Sammy out a little bit, but he started talking anyways. "Uh…hey Ness! I'm really scared. So, uh…c-can I sleep with you?"

Ness just sat there, staring at him with no expression whatsoever.

"It'll be fun! It'll be like a small sleepover…Ness? Do you wanna? Are you even listening?"

Ness made some slurping noises.

"Hmm…I supposed we could make it like a real sleepover if you want. We can go get some movies, some snacks, some sleeping bags…"

"Did you say…snacks?" Ness said suddenly.

Sammy jumped in surprise. He hadn't been too sure the sleepyhead was listening. "Uh…yeah." He said nervously.

Ness's tired features disappeared and were replaced with a huge smile. "Aw yeah!" He cheered, "Me and Sammy's gonna have a sweepover! WOO!" He paused for a moment, then mused, "Actuwawy Sammy, I have a bettew idea! Howsa bout we invite aww ouw fwiends and thwow a big pawty in the lounge!"

Sammy agreed, resting his head on his hands thoughtfully. "Hey yeah. It'll brighten the mood and take our minds off the tournament."

Ness looked really proud of himself, and then started counting his fingers. "Kay, so we'll invite Bowsa, Wawio, Pokemon Twaina…"

"Um…how about you let me do the deciding."

* * *

A knocking sounded on Toon Link and Kirby's door late at night. Both roommates got up to answer it. They were also in their jammies. No, not jimmies, Clipit! People can't wear sprinkles!

Anyways, Kirby wore his little cap he wears when he's Sleep Kirby and Toon Link was wearing his wacko outfit he wears in the beginning of his game, The Wind Waker.

Kirby pushed open the door with his stubby arms. "Poyo?" He asked, eyes wide and curious.

"Nng…what is it?" Toon Link said more sleepily.

"Kirby! Toon Link!" Sammy greeted. "You've been invited…"

"To a supa-dupa-extwa-spectacuwar sweepover pawty in da lounge!" Ness finished.

"But we need more people." Sammy continued. "Wanna help us get some?"

Little Link punched a fist into the air, now fully awake. "Sweet! I'll help!"

"Poyo!" Kirby agreed.

"Okay, let's split up!"

Sammy headed to older Link's room. He kicked it open without a second thought. "Hey Link!" He greeted, going into the room. He paused, noticing that the Hylian was still fully dressed. He was standing by the window, staring out into the sky. He turned around to acknowledge him. Sammy frowned. "Huh? You're not asleep? You don't even have your jammies on…."

"I couldn't sleep." Link said bluntly. "But enough about me. Why are you up so late?"

Over on the 2nd floor, Kirby was battering away at a certain door, screaming "Poyo!" at the top of his little lungs.

Jigglypuff opened the door. "Stop it Kirby. Do you know what time it is…?"

Toon Link, who was running by with a small gang of Pikmin stopped to say, "It's sleepover time Jigglypuff! Some of Olimar's Pikmin are joining us too!"

The balloon Pokemon looked ecstatic. She shot a loving glance at Kirby, as if he had just asked her to the prom. "Oh, how sweet! I'll come!"

Sammy passed by with Link behind him. "Look guys! I got Link to come too!"

It was definitely a good idea, because the swordsman already looked less stressed and slightly happier. "This is a great idea. You kids are really smart."

"It wasn't our idea, it was Ness's!" Sammy pointed out modestly.

Link rubbed the back off his head thoughtfully. "Oh…Ness…well, he's sorta smart. Kinda." Sammy wasn't listening to his opinion on Ness. Toon Link was asking him a question.

"Hey, speaking of Ness, where is he?" The Toon asked.

"Do you know who he's inviting?" Jiggly said cheerily.

Sammy looked deadly serious. "Knowing him, probably Bowser. Let's not wait up, shall we?"

Meanwhile…

A door creaked open in the darkness. A figure crept into the occupied room, sneaking closer and closer to its prey. It approached the bed…

Cackling evilly, it slowly peered over the edge of the bed, ready to strike.

"Hehehe…huh?"

Soft breathing could be heard from a nearby box on the floor. The shadowy figure turned and glided over there instead. Slowly…slowly…it came closer and closer…

"WHOA!" Ness shrieked. He had looked into the box and seen Meta Knight sleeping with his eyes open! Who slept with their eyes open? It looked creepy.

What? Did you think it was the kidnapper? Sorry, you were wrong. Our good old kidnapper is too busy tonight. Hint hint.

Meta Knight's eyes, which had been faded to a dark amber, returned to normal color and he sat up, just as surprised as Ness.

"What the-?! How the heck did you get here?" He didn't seem as cool and collected as he normally did.

Ness didn't answer his question. "Hehehe…" He chuckled, looking down into the box. "Nice pink bwanket Meta Knight."

"Nice I Heart Mr. Saturn boxers." The knight retaliated.

Ness crossed his arms. "Huh…Touché."

A moment of irritated silence passed between the two. Ness waved an arm as if to clear it out. "Weww, anyway, we'we thwowin' a big sweepover pawty in the lounge! Wanna come?"

"No." Meta Knight answered, almost instantly.

Ness snatched up the box he was sitting in and ran with it. "Too bad, ya comin' anyway. Wet's go!"

* * *

At the sleepover, most were having a good time.

Link stood there cluelessly, wondering why he always had to be dragged around with the little kids all the time.

Toon Link and Sammy shared a nice chat while having a refreshing drink of lemonade.

Ness and Kirby tried to out eat each other, but it seemed that both of their stomachs were endless black holes.

Snapdragon and Peppermint played a friendly game of tag, while Bluebell sipped a coke, fascinated by the long straw in her mouth.

Meta Knight stood idly by while Jigglypuff stalked him, sometimes leaving him to stalk Kirby, and then switching back again.

Yes, all was well.

"Guys, let's put in some music!" Toon Link suggested.

"Okay!" Ness said in his usual voice and hooked his iPod up to his little radio. He flipped through a couple of playlists then pressed play on the chosen song.

"Evewyone do duh Carmelldansen!" Ness squealed as he, Toon Link, and Sammy all started doing the cute little dance associated with the Carmelldansen. Kirby tried his best to copy their movements, but it's hard when you have stubs for arms. The Pikmin trio formed a Can-Can line.

Jigglypuff smiled a nervous smile and giggled, "I'll just watch…"

"N…nah…" Link stammered, embarrassed at the thought of dancing to that.

"No thanks." Meta Knight said. "Whenever I do that dance, my mask always falls off." (It's true!) Link looked over at Meta Knight suspiciously.

"Hey Meta Knight, why did Ness bring you down in that box earlier?"

"I don't like the beds they have here, okay?!" Meta Knight blurted out. Link narrowed his eyes. What was so bad about them? Was Meta Knight afraid he'd get lost in the sheets or something?

Later…

Link clutched his head, screeching like a madman, "AUGH!! It's 2 A.M.! _You guys have been dancing to Carmelldansen for three freakin' hours!_"

The hyper bunch slowed to a stop and turned off the music. Then they looked at one another as if wondering what to do next. "Go to bed!" Link growled.

"But…we didn't watch a movie! You always watch movies at sleepovers!" His Toon self protested.

"Too bad!" Link snarled. He couldn't have snarled any better if he were in wolf form.

"What about stowytime?" Ness suggested.

"Yeah!" Sammy backed him up, "The adults can tell us stories!"

Jigglypuff liked the thought of that. "Okay kids. Get in your sleeping bags." Jigglypuff said in her high-pitched voice as the group gathered around. "This story is called "The Lonely Pikachu.""

"Pikachu is overrated." Toon Link said in a bored voice. "Link, your turn."

Jiggly looked positively devastated. Link rubbed his chin in thought. "Okay…so, uh…there once was a tree house…"

"Next!" His other self interrupted. Then he looked at Meta Knight. "Meta Knight, you were once apart of the Star Warrior Army, right? Tell us about an amazing victory!"

"There were no victories. Everyone died and I was the only survivor."

Gloom covered the room like a blanket.

"I don't cawe!" Ness said suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at the knight. "Just cut the cwap and teww us a stowy!"

"Well…okay." Meta Knight said slowly.

"One time I was traveling with my best friend Jecra and the other star warriors. One night we stopped to make camp. Jecra and I sat by the fire and drank hot chocolate."

"-" Said the kids.

"Then a bunch of demon beasts attacked our camp, killed some of us, and captured Jecra."

"O.o"

"Then the next day he came back and he seemed well."

"."

"But really he was just a possessed demon beast and started attacking us so I killed him. The end."

"TT.TT"

Meta Knight looked uncertain. "Er…did you like the story?"

Nobody answered. Link saw his chance. "Okay, now go to bed before I make Meta Knight tell you another story!" He threatened.

Sammy started to cry. "Nooo! Have mercy!!"

"But I'm not tired…" Toon Link complained.

"You heard him…" Sammy whispered.

"I ate too much candy…" Ness said, his stomach making loud, uncomfortable noises.

Toon Link looked at the sleeping form of Kirby, thinking, _There needs to be some sort of way we can stall…_ He then noticed the pillow the puffball was snoozing on top of. _Hmm… _He woke Kirby up and they both grabbed a pillow.

He leaped at his older form. "Pillow fight!" He shrieked, hitting Link in the shoulder with a hefty pillow. Kirby carried another pillow proudly above his head, just before smashing it into Link's knees. They pelted him with pillows.

"My tuwn!" Ness said suddenly. He went to take a pillow from Toon Link, but the kid wasn't ready to let go. Ness started tugging on the end. Toon Link pulled the other end. A loud ripping sound filled the room and TL let go with a shocked expression as the pillow split clean in half.

Feathers flew. Ness fell backwards from the blow and hit Link, who was knocked onto his stomach. As he fell, he sent the lightweight Jigglypuff flying through the air, scattering Pikmin in her wake. Kirby jumped with joy and hit Sammy in the head, giving him a mouthful of feathers. Meta Knight just watched.

As the scattered feathers settled, Link stood up, covered in the white plumage. He coughed and some tiny white feathers flew out of his mouth.

"Time for bed!" Toon Link said quickly.

"Let's go!" Sammy agreed.

Link stood there looking angry while the kids set up for bed.

"Bedtime!" "Good night Link!" "'Night!"

Soon, the kids were all tucked into their sleeping bags, dead asleep. Link let out a relieved sigh.

"They're so cute!" Jiggly squealed.

"Yeah right." Link scowled. "This sleepover was pure torture."

Jigglypuff looked up at him, her eyes shining. "But they did it for a good reason, right?" Link looked at her questioningly. She just smiled. "Well, I'm going upstairs. Good night!" She looked at Meta Knight. "Did you hear me Meta Knight? I said good night!"

"Good riddance." Meta muttered as she disappeared upstairs.

Link laughed at him. "Looks like Jigglypuff has a thing for her fellow puffballs!"

Meta Knight didn't share his amusement. "What a horrible party. Jigglypuff would not stop hitting on me and Kirby."

Link shrugged. "I feel your pain. Another hour, and I probably would have gone insane." Oh great, another rhyme. Link looked at the sleeping figures of the hyperactive children. _Still…_ He finished to himself, _Jigglypuff is right. They did it to relieve everyone of their worries. But now that it's dark and the party's over, every problem is coming back to me. I can't stop thinking about tomorrow. _

Link looked over and noticed Meta Knight's eyes were green, which meant he was deep in thought. "Hey! Your eyes are green! What are you thinking about?"

"The Tournament." He answered simply.

Link waited for him to say more. "Well what about it?" He pressed, when Meta didn't say anything.

"Half of the smashers are gone now. Tomorrow's tournament lineup doesn't look bad, but what will happen as the days go on? Friends will fight friends for their survival. Sacrifices will be made. Only one will win. And Link, I can assure you…"

He looked to where Ness, Sammy, Toon Link, and Kirby all rested peacefully.

"At least one person in this room will go today."

"N…No way…" Link said in disbelief.

"Don't believe me? You're up against Kirby." Meta Knight said, signaling to the puffball snoring softly on his little pillow.

"But…he's just a kid. I can't fight…" Link started to say, but Meta cut him off.

"Kirby will put up a fair fight. It'll be okay."

Link shook his head angrily. "I hate this! This tournament is so stupid!"

Meta Knight turned away, wrapped his cape around him, and then began to walk away. "I'm going to bed now…"

Link paused. "Meta Knight, wait."

The knight stopped walking, but didn't turn around. Link inhaled deeply, and then began to talk, "What you said earlier…if you were the smash champion and everyone was gone…what would you do?"

Meta Knight remained silent for a long time. Link stood there, waiting. Finally, the soldier's deep voice broke the silence. "I'm afraid I cannot answer that…"

Link closed his eyes. _Me too. _He thought inwardly. After another moment of quiet, he raised a hand in farewell. "Well, good night…"

"Link." Meta Knight's amber eyes pierced Link in the darkness. Link gazed back into them. Meta Knight bowed his head slightly. "I fear that all we can do now…is wait…"

* * *

**This marks the end of the first volume in my comic series. I'm currently on the third volume so I have a whole other notebook to type before I catch up (which I doubt I will) so I hope you enjoy the next chapters of part two as much as you did these. And remember: The review button is your friend!  
**


	8. The Star Warrior's Farewell

**Fanfiction likes to screw up some of my stuff. Anyways, thanks for the reviews! Gives all reviewers some tasty tweats from Ness's stash Part One (the first 7 chapters) was mostly focused on Link, while Part 2 (the next 6 or 7 chapters) will be focused on Ness and Sammy. I hope you like it! **

That morning, the sky was clear with only a few pink clouds in the sky. The sun slowly rose over the distant hills, casting its light on the mansion. The light filtered into a certain dark room on the 3rd floor.

Link clenched the covers of his blanket and sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As he squinted into the fierce sunlight, it all came back to him.

_Day two…_ He thought wearily, _of this God-forsaken tournament._

* * *

Ness opened his eyes suddenly. He lay in his sleeping bag, dead asleep a second ago, now wide-awake. Sammy was tucked in his own sleeping bag next to him, and on his other side, Kirby was sleeping on Toon Link's face, but Toon Link didn't seem to notice.

Ness sprung to his feet and took off running for the steps. He was on the second floor, when Zelda stopped him. "Oh, hello Ness." She said, smiling. "Why are you up so early?"

"Uh…just a dweam…I guess…" He said, a worried expression on his face. Zelda didn't take any notice of it.

"Oh really?" She said happily, "I was just going to check on Popo, but I think he's still sleeping in his room…"

"He's not in there." The psychic said suddenly. Zelda looked confused.

"Not in there?! Ness, what do you…mean…?" She trailed off, as Ness turned around and disappeared back down the steps. She wondered if she had just imagined that. "Ugh…I need a shower…" She grumbled, heading back down the hall to her room.

On the way she passed the Ice Climbers room. She put her hand on the handle, but stopped herself from opening it. She then turned away and hurried down the hall.

* * *

Down in the lounge, the three young smashers slept on peacefully. Although they didn't notice it, smoke started creeping into the room from the kitchen. It spread all around and enveloped them in its gray cloud.

Upon inhaling it, all three of them coughed and groaned. Toon Link sat up, grumbling, "Nnn…where's Ness? What's that awful smell??"

Sammy flew into a panic. "Oh no! Stop drop and roll!"

TL was way too tired to freak out so he asked sleepily, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Sammy looked like he was going to pass out. "_Last _time I had a sleepover with Ness, I woke up and he was setting fire to the bed!"

"_I just wanted to make some mawshmellows!" _Had been his lame excuse.

At the panicked boy's loud voice, Ness peeked around the corner and waved a spatula in the air. "I'm not makin' a fiah! I'm makin' pancakes!"

They all looked at him; surprised he was already up and dressed.

Toon Link yawned and said, "Why are you making them? Call a servant."

"Aww of 'em weft when they heawd we wewe disappeawing." Ness replied, running his tongue along the spatula to lick up the raw pancake batter. "Anyways, you guys go get dwessed and wake evewyone up while I finish!"

"No way! They're gone?" The smaller Link looked shocked.

"Don't eat any of Ness's pancakes," Sammy warned his friend in a low voice, "he just licked the spatula."

A little while later…

Ness sat by a steaming pile of pancakes, smiling his happy smile that never left his face. Actually, the pancakes weren't steaming…they were…smoking. And they were burnt to a crisp. Everyone sat, looking at the charred pancakes on their plate, looking very scared.

Kirby, the only one brave enough to try one happily picked one up with a cute, "Poyo!" and licked it. The pancake flew from his grasp and he started coughing and hacking. He got down on the ground and rolled around, wheezing. He stopped and lay there for a minute as if he were dead, but then hopped back up onto the seat and eyed the pancake as if it were some killing device.

"Wow," DeDeDe said, blinking in amazement, "even Kirby doesn't like it and he'll eat almost _anything_! That's a pretty amazing feat you've accomplished right there."

"Why thank you!" Ness said happily.

"That's nothing to be proud of!" DeDeDe snapped. Wario, who was sitting next to him, gave the penguin a nudge.

"Hey, I swiped this smash ball from the item cabinet." The fat man told the king, holding up the glowing ball. "Kirby's final smash is Cook Kirby, right?"

"Yeah." DeDeDe grinned, catching Wario's drift.

"Hey Kirby!" Wario yelled, throwing the ball across the table. Kirby caught it and broke it in half. His eyes glowed and a chef's hat appeared on his head.

"What the-?! Who gave him a smash ball?!" Zelda demanded. "They're not allowed outside of battle!!"

Wario laughed like a maniac. "Gwahahaa! Kirby, cook us breakfast!"

Kirby pulled out an enormous pot and stuffed Bowser into it. Bowser let out a cry of agony as the pink marshmellow began to cook him.

"You idiot!" Wario groaned, slapping his forehead. "I said breakfast not _Bowser_."

"Someone help him!" Zelda said, looking at Wario angrily.

"Mmm, turtle soup." Pit joked.

Link watched all of this in silence, his eyes focused on Kirby sadly. _Kirby…_ He thought to himself, wondering what events that afternoon would bring for the little pink puffball.

* * *

"How wong tiww wunch?" Ness asked, sitting in the game room with TL and Sammy. They were playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl, their favorite multiplayer game to play. If they didn't like to play it…then they would have needed to see a therapist.

"An hour." Sammy responded. "Then the tournament."

Ness directed his hand to Sammy's picture and the screen announced, "Lucas!"

"Hey," Sammy said, "why d'you keep picking me?" Sammy went to move his hand towards his picture, but it forced him to be Claus, his twin.

"Cuz then I don't feel so bad when I wose!" Ness laughed.

"I am _so_ good at this game." Toon Link murmured, off in his own world.

"Y'know," The kid with the hat said suddenly, "I weally hate how they got youw name wong in this! What kinda name is Wucas?!"

"Uh, it's my name, Ness..."

"SHUT UP"

"Okay…"

After that, they pressed start to begin, but first they had to decide on the stage. Ness picked up one of his leftover pancakes he brought upstairs and nibbled on it. "Hey, can we go fight at da stage I made?" He said through a mouthful of black pancake.

Sammy narrowed his eyes. "Googooplex? No way! That place is a death trap."

Toon Link wrinkled his nose as Ness picked up another pancake and bit into it. "Yuck, Ness! You're actually eating your pancakes? Do you like them or something?"

Ness's face turned serious and his eyes shone weirdly. "Well, with every bite, I can feel a year being subtracted from my life…" He said in a normal voice. Then his face broke out in a dumb grin. "But aside from that, they'we pwetty good!"

"Ness…please stop eating those…" Sammy pleaded, looking worried.

Toon Link, once again, was paying more attention to the game than the conversation. "You guys ready for this? We're going to Eldin Bridge!" He declared, brandishing his Wii remote high into the air.

"Ahh! Wait for us!"

Meanwhile…

Zelda stood in the kitchen, chopping and skinning potatoes. She stared off into space, not even taking any notice of her cooking. Every once in a while, she let out a small sigh.

Soon enough, Link entered. "Hey Princess. Making lunch?" His voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Dinner, actually." She replied nervously, "Lunch is in the fridge."

Link's expression hardened. "Okay Zelda. What aren't you telling me?" He folded his arms, frowning at her.

She tried to look like nothing was wrong, but ended up looking desperate. "Huh? Oh, nothing important! It's just…it's just…" Her voice wavered. Link tilted an eyebrow, looking suspicious. She took a deep breath and spilt everything in one breath.

"I went to check on Popo this morning, but then I saw Ness and he said Popo wasn't there so I got too afraid to go in and I didn't check to see if Popo was there or not, but I'm still really really nervous! There I told you! You can read me like a book…"

"Zelda!" Link eyes widened. He looked slightly angry. "This is serious! Ness is some sort of psychic—he probably knows what he's talking about! (Not that he does half the time.)" Zelda grabbed his hand and went rushing towards the stairs.

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go find him!" She said, pulling Link along with her. He nearly fell over from her going to fast as she led him to the Ice Climber's room.

"Whoa! Zelda! Calm down!"

She stopped and looked back, her features saddened. "I'm sorry…I'm just scared."

Link smiled. "It's not like the thing that took him is gonna come out and…" He trailed away. The door slowly started opening with a loud creaking noise.

They let out surprised screams that filled the hallway. When the door stopped opening, they looked down to see the short figure of Meta Knight. "Ahhh-oh. It's just Meta Knight."

The knight looked up at them slowly. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help but overhear. It seems…Ness was right." He opened the door the rest of the way to reveal the empty room. There was no Popo. "Do you know what this means Link?" Meta asked, staring into the Hylian's blue eyes.

"Yeah…" He responded. "It means the kidnapper has access to our rooms…"

* * *

"Right now there are no upcoming interviews before the first match, but later we'll be sure to…" The TV announcer ranted while everyone focused on the TV. Link walked into the room. Everyone was sitting quietly.

_Looks like everyone's pretty shocked about Popo's disappearance._ Link thought to himself. The news had spread like wildfire. Link watched the TV for another minute until it was time to go. He felt something soft and squishy rush into the room and bump into his leg. He looked down to see Kirby.

"Hey Kirby." He said, "You don't mind this fight…do you?"

"Poyo!" Kirby said, raising a stub of an arm as if to say, "Don't worry about it!"

"Okay." Link said, feeling a tad better. "Let's go."

With that, they both disappeared into the transporter.

"Link, wait!" Zelda called after him, but she was too late. "I didn't get to say goodbye…" She sighed, disappointed. Toon Link watched from a distance. He looked over to the stage-chooser. It had stopped on Mario Bros.

"Looks like they're going to Mario's old school stage." He said quietly, his face expressionless. He didn't want either of them to lose.

As they appeared and waited for the fight to start, Link looked around himself. _The graphics are so bad here…I'm gonna barf! _The fight started and turtles started appearing from the pipes on either side of him.

"Poyo!" Came a shrill cry. Kirby came jumping up out of nowhere. He opened his mouth wide and started to suck in giant gulps of air. Link tried to get away, but let his sword go in the process. Kirby swallowed the sword. Moments later, he had his own little sword and a hat that looked kind of like Link's hat only with a little yellow ball on the end.

Back in the mansion, Olimar crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. "That Link Kirby looks kind of weird…"

Meta Knight, who could never stop identifying Kirby's different forms, spoke up, "That's because it's not Link Kirby…it's _Sword _Kirby. Link just made things harder for himself by letting his sword go. Link Kirby only has a bow and arrow, while Sword Kirby is much more versatile.

They watched as Kirby began to attack Link with his newfound sword. Things did seem to get harder for the Hylian as he tried his best to fend the ball off. Kirby's strength started to overwhelm him. With a loud yell, he performed his spinning move and sent Kirby flying.

Kirby landed nearby a pipe, where he noticed a nut sitting on the ground. And no it wasn't Ness. It was a Deku Nut. He snatched up the nut and threw it at Link with a small, "Pyo!"

It flashed in front of Link's face stunning him. In a sense, it looked like he was drunk. Kirby walked right up to him and smacked him with his hammer. _No! _Link screamed inside his head as he headed for the side.

With a loud crack, Link hit a bad-graphic turtle headfirst. It sent him upwards. He hit the ceiling and was smacked back down to the floor. He lay there for a second, then sat up, holding his head in pain.

"Thanks for blocking me from going out and all," He muttered to the turtle, a tear at the corner of his eye from the agony, "but you think you could've made it a little less…painful?"

In front of the turtle, Link saw a pitfall lying on the ground. He grabbed it and held it up in front of the turtle. "If he's going to use deku nuts on me, then I'll use this pitfall I found on _him_."

"…" Said the turtle.

"What? Oh yeah, he is pretty intimidating, isn't he?"

Link stood up and saw the adorable puffball standing not too far off, sword in hand. He started to have second thoughts.

_Still…he's just a baby…but I have to end this…!_

He threw the pitfall with all of his might. Kirby became stuck in a hole. He let out a loud shriek. His sword went flying and clattered to the ground. Link approached, sword raised. Then he noticed Kirby wasn't struggling. He was just sitting there…his eyes wide, waiting for his opponent to end it.

Link closed his eyes. "I can't do this, Kirby. There's no way…" He murmured.

"Link." Came a small voice. Link's eyes flew open and he looked down in shock at the baby Star Warrior.

"Y…You have to s-save…the smashers…" He said with some difficulty.

Link couldn't respond. He was too stunned by the fact that Kirby could actually speak.

Kirby smiled. "Poyo." It was as if he had accepted the fact that Link should be the one to go on and help everyone, not him. Link was one of the people that would save them…

Without warning, an angry crab burst from the pipe across from them. It rushed across the stage, straight for Kirby. Link noticed it just in time and instinctively jumped out of the way. Kirby couldn't move.

With one last desperate look, the crab smashed into Kirby at full force, sending the poor puff off the stage. Kirby was defeated, but not by Link's own hands.

He shouted after Kirby, "Kirby! No!" He tried to go after him, but there was no time to do so.

The transporter did its job, and Link was whisked away, back to the mansion.

* * *

**Did you think it was Meta Knight's farewell? No...it was Kirby's. I like them both, but Kirby was next in line and you can't really understand him so yeah. After getting rid of Kirby in my comic, I missed drawing him. That puffball is just plain adorable.**


	9. Attack of the Angry Reporters

**Nothing much to say except...review! Please? This story has nine chapters and only six reviews as I type this. ;;**

"Kirby…" Link murmured one last time before appearing in the entrance of the transporter. Jigglypuff let out a shrill screech at the sight of him.

"Kirby, no!" She bawled hysterically, "Nooo! Cruel fate! How could it take away Kirby? Now I only have one puffball to stalk!" Meta Knight shivered. That's our Jigglypuff for you—true and straightforward.

"Please God, don't let Jigglypuff win…" Meta Knight muttered, "make sure she doesn't come back. And as long as I'm dreaming, I'd like a new pair of shoes." Luckily for him, God was listening that day.

Jigglypuff approached Meta Knight, wiping away her last tear and smiling at him.

"Meta Knight, will you watch my fight? Will you??"

"Of course, Jigglypuff." He said in a monotone voice.

"Thank you!" She squealed.

"Anytime." The knight responded, wrapping his cloak around himself and turning away. Giggling, the balloon Pokemon entered the transporter. Meta Knight began to head for the door. Link noticed him leaving.

"Where are you going?"

"As far away from this room as I can."

As Meta Knight started to turn the corner, he was faced by a large pair of orange and yellow shoes that struck out and hit him like a soccer ball. He went rolling across the floor, and stopped himself with his arms. He sat, glaring up a Sammy, who was on the floor beside him.

"I'm sorry Meta Knight." The boy apologized, looking very sorry indeed. "You're so short, I didn't see you there…"

"Gee. Thanks." The shorty growled.

Toon Link and Ness approached. "Why are you in such a hurry anyways?" The little Hylian asked his friend.

"Angry reporters! Loads of 'em!" Sammy said waving his arms about as if to demonstrate how many there were. "They won't go away! They demand an interview!"

TL wondered why Sammy was making such a big deal out of it. "Then give 'em one." He said calmly. Sammy looked really upset.

"I can't do that!" He said in a high-pitched voice that showed his panic.

Ness crept up behind Sammy and grabbed his shoulders, making the poor kid jump. "Sammy's got a feaw of angwy wepowtas. Doncha Sammy?" Ness said in a creepy voice. Sammy swallowed nervously.

He pushed Ness away and scowled, "That's not funny! Especially not after what you did…"

Toon's eyes lit up. "Ooh! What is it? Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Sammy looked embarrassed. "We'd rather not-!" "Sammy hewe got kidnapped and held fow wansom by some wepowtas!" Ness interrupted; taking no notice of the angry look Sammy shot him.

"Y'see," He continued, oblivious to his best friend's death glare, "when I found out I was gonna be in SSB, the intaviewas wewe despewate fow an intaview. So ta pwovoke them, I decided I wouldn't give them one!"

Toon Link gaped at how brave Ness was. Or maybe at how stupid he was…

"Y'know what they did then…" Sammy said angrily, "They kidnapped me and told Ness they wouldn't give me back unless he gave them what they wanted!"

Ness looked really proud of himself. "But I was too smawt to faww fow _that _twick."

"Smart?" Sammy clenched his teeth, but still managed to talk through them. "You didn't realize I was missing till a month later! _Then _you came to rescue me!"

"So…what happened then?" TL asked, eager for more.

"To this day, they've neva gotten that intaview with me!" Ness concluded.

TL suddenly looked afraid. "Oh man. I don't think I want to go out there and get interviewed now…" He said.

"I will." Came a deep voice.

Everyone turned to stare at their favorite eavesdropper. "Meta Knight…"

He got out his sword and headed for the door. "Meta Knight, wait!" Sammy called after him. He looked back. "Be careful…they have tranquilizer guns…"

Meta Knight nodded and went to open the door. As the door clicked open, the reporters held their breath. "Okay. Tranquilize the first person you see…" One whispered. Meta Knight opened it, glaring up at them.

They froze in shock.

"Ah! Um…Sir Meta Knight!" Everyone was too frightened to move as the warrior stared them down with his piercing yellow eyes.

One woman stepped forward bravely and shoved a microphone in his face. Everyone else followed suite. "Er…will you please spare an interview?"

"Right now, we are having transporter difficulties." He said into the nearest microphone. "There will be no interviews until the last day. Then you may question the champion all you want." He turned to walk away.

"What?" "No!" Came some angry outbursts. The brave female reporter pursued him, shouting, "Meta Knight, wait!" She reached out a hand to grab him, but he was instantly turned around, his eyes sparking dangerously.

"Touch me…and the hand comes off." He threatened. Her eyes widened and she backed away. He slammed the doors, as she looked back at her fellow interviewers. "…Let's not put that on the air."

Meta Knight came back in to where the kids were waiting for him. "Thanks!" Ness said politely. "Yeah…" Sammy agreed, looking a lot less scared. They heard footsteps behind them and turned to see Link coming towards them.

"Oh great…what are you guys up to _now_?" He sighed.

Toon Link looked at his older self defiantly. "Uh…nothing."

A loud hammering on the door filled the room, confirming Link's suspicions that there was something going on. Shouts came from outside. "Open up, we know you're there!"

"Who's thewe?" Ness called, reaching for the doorknob. Sammy looked on in pure horror. "Ness what the heck are you doing?!"

He opened it to reveal the crowd of angrier than angry reporters. "Quick! Shoot someone!" One snarled. The person with the tranquilizer gun took a wild shot and it flew…straight into Sammy's perfect hair with the perfect cowlick.

Sammy looked up at the tranquilizer dart lodged in his hair. The room filled with a long silence, apart from the occasional chirping crickets. A dangerous look crossed the psychic's face.

"Oh. No. You. Didn't." He whispered menacingly. He then flew into a maniacal rage. "I'll kill you!!" He shrieked, starting to send attacks every which way. He was so angry he even made up a few new ones. "P.K. Freeze! P.K. Fire! P.K. Thunder! P.K. Love! P.K. Corn muffin! P.K. Potato! P.K-!"

The reporters stampeded for the door, screaming.

"Sammy!" Link called desperately over the noise, "Stop before you--!"

No one noticed it till it happened. In all of the chaos, the dart in Sammy's hair tumbled out and went toward the nearest bystander. That happened to be Meta Knight.

The dart slit into the space on his blue skin, between his mask and cape. He let out a small sound of surprise at the sharp pain of it. Sammy stopped what he was doing and looked over at Meta Knight.

"Err…M-Meta Knight?" He stammered.

With a loud thump, Meta Knight fell to the floor, his eyes faded to a dark shade of amber. Sammy let out a whimper. Aw man, he had tranquilized Meta Knight! Good thing the reporters were gone.

Toon Link looked amused. "Well nice goin' getting rid of the reporters and all but…I don't think Meta's going to be a very happy camper when he wakes up…" He pointed out truthfully.

Link sweatdropped. "Look on the bright side! You got rid of the reporters for like…a day…" Ness, who had been watching this in silence, suddenly sprang into action.

"You!!" He roared, springing towards Link, pointing an accusing finger at his chest. "You kiwwed Meta Knight just now, dincha? I saw you do it!"

"What?!" Link said, "No I didn't! He's just sleeping, weren't you paying attention?"

Apparently not.

TL, meanwhile, was pulling the dart out of Meta's skin. He discarded it, and it was then he noticed what a cool cape the knight was wearing…

Link grabbed Sammy's hand. "Anyways, grab Meta Knight and let's go watch the rest of--!" He glared at TL. "…What are you doing?"

Toon Link had wrapped the end of Meta Knight's cape around his neck to he was wearing it on one end and Meta was wearing it on the other.

"Nothing!" Toon Link said innocently, blocking the sleeping swordsman from view. Ness groped towards Meta Knight's face.

"Ooh! I want his mask then!" He declared.

Link pulled out his sword and spoke in a threatening tone, "Touch the mask…and I will smite you…and then Meta Knight will smite you again when he wakes up…"

"Okay then…" Ness said, backing away.

The Hero of Time turned away angrily and headed for the door. "Now come on…" He told the kids, looking a bit grumpy at their childish behavior.

"Aw man, come on Ness…" The Toon sighed, walking with the cape still on, so Meta Knight was dragged on the ground behind him.

As Link entered the Tournament Room with Sammy, Olimar was there to greet him.

"Oh Link, have you seen Toon Link? His battle's next."

Link shook his head. "No, Zelda's is next. Hers is after Jigglypuff's. You're mistaken."

Olimar arched an eyebrow. "Zelda already went. It's Toon Link's turn now."

Link couldn't believe his ears and said quietly, "But…that's not right. That means I missed her fight again."

"Um, you _did _miss her fight."

"But…that's wrong…" Link's shocked expression suddenly turned to a wary one. He glanced around the room, saying, "Is she looking for me? Is she very mad?"

Olimar let out a heavy sigh and admitted, "No, Link…she lost…"

"To me." Came a gruff voice. Wario stepped forward, laughing, "It's too bad you missed it Link. You would have enjoyed it…ha!"

Link looked furious. "How dare you do that to a girl? A princess no less! Why I outta…I outta…SIC'EM NAVI!" Navi came flying out of Link's hat and headed straight for Wario, screeching at the top of her little lungs.

"HeyLookListenHeyLookWatchOutWatchOutLookListenHeyListenLookWatchOutListenListenHeyWatchOut" and so on.

"You'll regret being rude to me and my best friend!" Link said triumphantly. Navi stopped her rampage and turned to look at Link.

"Hey!" She said, "I thought I was your best friend!"

"What? No…"

"I thought you only had eyes for me!!" She shrieked.

"No you crazy psycho!" Link growled.

Link's Toon version sat nearby, scratching the back of his head. _Wasn't my battle after Zelda's…? _

As if answering his thoughts, Link ignored Navi and looked over at Toon Link. "Why the heck are you still here? You're battle's starting!" He told him while Navi squealed, "Hey! Listen!" Toon Link gasped.

"What? But…I don't even know whom I'm up against! Again!" A loud stomping erupted from behind him.

"Me." Came a snarl. He turned around to see the exact opposite of Yoshi…Bowser.

"Now get in the transporter before I make you." He growled, baring his teeth.

"O…Okay." Little Link squeaked, sweating bullets. Bowser gave him a shove towards the transporter. He got in and the Koopa King followed. With a loud zap, the Toon found himself in Sonic's stage, Green Hill Zone.

"3…2…1…GO!" Came the announcer's voice out of nowhere.

Toon Link stood up, taking a deep breath. He had to show everyone he had courage! He ran across the stage towards the waiting Bowser. "Bowser! Face me!" He shouted bravely. Bowser laughed, a deep booming laugh.

"Bwahaha! Okay kid!" He inhaled deeply and sent a stream of fire at him.

Link let out a little yelp and went running back to where he started. Gotta go FAST!

Bowser went after him, but the scared swordsman would just run away when he got too close. Bowser tried to put a big smile on his face and say sweetly, "Hey little guy, how about coming on over for some nice, fun close-combat?"

"N-no way you freak!" TL shouted, retreating back across the stage, out of reach.

Bowser's upper lip curled. A growl rumbled deep in the back of his throat. _Then I'll have to come over there…_

He slid across the stage on his shell towards the little Hylian. He swiped a claw in his direction, but Link was too fast. He slashed at him, and then got out of the way of another attack by jumping on his head. Then he managed to turn around and whack the Koopa on the nose with his boomerang.

His nose throbbed. Bowser let out a frustrated roar. He rushed at TL with surprising speed, grabbed him, flew high into the air, and then brought him crashing down beneath him. The stage cracked under the immense pressure and began to fall apart.

"Oh no…Bowser forgot that stage has a tendency to fall apart…Sonic is cheap like that." Link said, offstage.

The ground fell away beneath the fighters' feet. They went plunging downward with loud yells. Luckily, they were both able to grab the sides. They each sat panting on either side of the stage. Toon saw his opportunity and started pulling bombs out of nowhere and throwing them across.

"Whoa!" Bowser yelped, "What are you trying to do? Destroy the rest of the stage?"

TL didn't respond. Bowser clenched his clawed fists. With a mighty roar, he shouted, "Let's finish this!" He leaped across the gap, straight at his opponent.

Toon Link leaped into the air a moment later and came above the Koopa. Bowser looked up, eyes wide. The little hero then brought his sword down and stabbed with all of his might. Bowser shot straight down into the darkness with one last roar.

TL grabbed for the sides. He managed to grip one, but he overestimated its stability. It crumbled at the touch of his hand and he began to fall in after Bowser. He screamed as he fell down, down into the darkness. He closed his eyes and waited for it to end, still screaming. Suddenly, an angry voice interrupted him.

"Toon Link! Stop that infernal screaming! You teleported before you fell all the way down! Sheesh!"

Toon Link didn't pay any attention to the random annoyed smashers, but rejoiced, "Hey…I'm back! I don't believe it! Yay!"

"Yayyy!" Ness joined in saying, "My tuwn! My tuwn!"

Sammy stood back a little, giving his best friend a pep talk. "You're gonna do great Ness! Seriously, you're the best." Ness turned around and smiled. Sammy smiled back. "And remember…" He pointed to his head. "It's all up here."

Ness's smile faded. He tilted his head at him, confused. "…In youw cowlick?"

Sammy nearly fell over. "What the-?! No! In your brain!"

It took Ness a moment to understand, but when he did get it, he beamed. "Thanks Sammy!" Then he headed for the transporter, waving an arm frantically. "Bye Sammy!"

"Bye!" Sammy said, waving his arm just as crazily. He stopped with a small gasp as a hand grabbed his shoulder, gripping it tightly.

"Too bad he won't be coming back, huh, Lucas?" Came a deadly voice.

Sammy didn't respond. He stared straight ahead, eyes wide and scared.

"So how would you like to see your friend go? I could drown him with Squirtle…or choke him with Ivysaur's vines…or perhaps you'd prefer him to be burned to a crisp by Charizard?"

Sammy broke free of Pokemon Trainer Red's grip, pushing him away. He stared up at him, features hardened. "Why are you doing this?" He questioned, "Why do you hate Ness so much? …Can't you just leave us alone?"

Red scowled. "Who was there for you when that idiot got turned into a trophy? Who let you travel with him, and fought alongside you in battle? Who did you desert for some red-capped snot after the final battle? Who was a better friend to you than you ever could have wished for? Who, Lucas?!"

Sammy began to cry. "S…Stop calling me that…" He whimpered, "I've gotten used to Sammy!"

"You little…" Red started to say, but cut himself off. He looked down at the sad boy and said in a dangerous voice, "After you see what I do to Ness…you'll regret doing that to me!" He turned away and headed for the transporter. "Goodbye Lucas."

"N-n…no!" He cried out, tears trickling down his face. "You can't…!" He chased after him, grabbing at his backpack and shirt. "Stop! Please stop!" He begged, getting down on his knees. "Please…" He whispered.

Pokemon Trainer shook him off and disappeared without saying another word, leaving Sammy holding on to nothing but air.

"Please…"

**Aw Sammy. ;; Ness is a better friend than Pokemon Trainer.**


	10. Go! Triple Finish!

**Review? Please? With chocolate peanut butter fudge on top?  
**

The device that picked the stages spun rapidly. Eventually, it slowed and rested on its choice. Sammy stood up and looked at it, wiping away his last tear.

_The Halberd…isn't that…Meta Knight's ship? The one all those bad guys had… _He closed his eyes and hoped that Ness would be safe. He opened them and looked at the sleeping form of Meta Knight on the couch. He listened to the conversation between two nearby smashers.

"The music there is awesome! I love Meta Knight's Revenge." "Too bad he's missing it."

* * *

A Pokeball flew onto the battlefield.

"Go! Squirtle!" The Pokemon Trainer yelled as a bright light burst from the ball. A tiny blue turtle appeared, smiling. "Squirtle!" It said.

"Aww, what a cute wittle turtle!" Ness said happily.

Red wasn't amused. "Squirtle, don't take that crap from him! Attack!" He directed the turtle to use Water Gun. Squirtle charged his blast of water and was about to unleash it when Ness jumped on his head and sprung high into the air. He landed neatly on both feet, laughing.

He was cut off when Red reached out and roughly gripped his shoulder. "Look here, brat." He said in a threatening voice, "You're gonna stop fooling around and fight seriously or I'm gonna release my Charizard. Got it?"

"P.K. Thunda!" Ness said suddenly, surrounding himself with electricity. Red let go and sprung back just in time with a loud, "What the-?!" Ness proceeded to guide the thunder towards Squirtle and zapped him.

The pissed off trainer scowled, "I'll take that as a yes."

Ness smirked and replied, "That you wiww!"

So Ness did as his opponent said to—he attacked Squirtle with everything he had. He used P.K. Thunder a lot, while Squirtle used water moves such as Water Gun and Waterfall. They were equally matched, but it seemed Ness was causing more damage...so I guess that means they weren't equally matched. The battle raged on while the Halberd flew around in the background. Squirtle was growing more and more tired.

Red placed his hands on his head in frustration. What the heck was Squirtle's problem? He wanted this to be over quick!

At one point, Ness brought his yoyo smashing into Squirtle's side. The Pokemon rolled away, tucked inside his shell. "Squirtle…" He groaned in pain.

"Squirtle! Get up!" His trainer demanded.

Ness leaped forward to finish it, but Red was quick on his feet. "Get back!" He said, withdrawing Squirtle and sending out Ivysaur. "Go Ivysaur!"

"Saur!" The Leaf Pokemon responded enthusiastically. Ness stopped in his tracks, staring at the replacement Pokemon.

"No fair!" Sammy cried out from offstage. "He brought Squirtle back right when Ness was going to end it!"

Ness stopped gawking and shouted, "P.K. Fire!" Ivysaur was enveloped in flames. It's super effective!

Red remembered his conversation with Sammy and said, "Hurry up and strangle him!" to his Pokemon. "Ivy!" Ivysaur responded, even though he had never gotten a command quite like it. Ivysaur wrapped his vines around Ness's neck.

"Hey what's he doing?" "That's not allowed!" People cried out from the audience. A loud booing was heard, directed at Pokemon Trainer. "I hate those Ness-supporters." The trainer grumbled to himself.

Although the crowd was disapproving of it, the Pokemon continued to do what his master wished. Ness clutched the vines twisted around his neck. His face was changing different colors as he struggled to breath. The vines only became tighter.

Ness stopped struggling as a look of determination overcame his face. He pulled at the vines even harder, making them loose enough to move his head. He dug his teeth into Ivysaur's vines.

The poor Pokemon screeched its name in pain, releasing Ness, who hopped away.

"Don't give up Ivysaur!" Red yelled, trying to sound encouraging, but only sounding demanding.

"Uh-oh, Sammy." Link said, eyes focused on the TV. "They're touching down on the Halberd." Link didn't seem to notice that Sammy was trembling.

Toon Link did, and couldn't help but add, "They'll have to be extra careful now!"

Ness was doing better, now that he had recovered. He spammed P.K. Fire, which was a very good move to use against a plant Pokemon. Ivysaur fell back, panting in agony. Red recalled him, saying,

"You're pathetic! Both you and Squirtle! Now come back!"

Ivysaur looked extremely put down, before disappearing back inside his Pokeball.

"Only one can help me now…" The trainer said dramatically, pulling out his last ball, "Go! Charizard!" He sent out his fresh Pokemon.

The orange dragon let out a loud roar. Ness's eyes widened. The fire Pokemon snorted and came at him.

He swung his flame-tipped tail, leaving a long burn mark on Ness's arm. While Ness was stunned, he brought a clawed hand forward and scratched a long gash on the psychic boy's face. He also used Rock Smash, leaving large bruises all over his body.

As Ness continued to get attacked, a smash ball appeared. "Oh my gosh! A…a smash ball!" The announcer blared, directing everyone's attention to it. Charizard galloped away from his prey, in the direction of the smash ball.

"P.K. Thunder!" Ness cried out weakly, sending the thunder towards the floating ball. He managed to hit it, but Charizard used this to his advantage. He flew into the air, driving his nose into the colorful smash ball. It broke and its power flowed through the Pokemon.

"Way to go Charizard!" Pokemon Trainer shouted, punching a fist into the air. Then he lowered his voice, saying, "Finally…I can get my revenge…"

"Noooo!" Sammy screamed.

Ness stood there, head bowed in defeat. He was too tired to try and avoid the final smash.

Pokemon Trainer guided Charizard to the end of the stage, pointing a finger into the air. "Go!" He yelled, "Triple F-huh? What the heck is that?" He stopped to stare at a small target that floated over to him. It had the Meta Knight symbol on it. It made small beeping noises and it floated over to rest on the Pokemon Trainer.

Pokemon Trainer looked down at it in amazement. Never had something like this happened to him before…he had always just been in the background, watching the fight. Now why was this…this thing on him?

"What is this thing?" He wondered, "Why's it on me? What's that--?" The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning from Pikachu. He turned to see a cannon aimed at him. It was too late to run.

"Oh sh--!"

With a loud zapping noise, he was hit. Ness and Charizard watched in amazement. As the beam of power disappeared, Pokemon Trainer was seen disappearing over the edge. "Nooooo!" He screeched, disappearing below.

Sammy stood there, his eyes wide, his hair in disarray.

"Wow…right over the edge." Olimar said, next to him.

"Huh…that was some plot twist." Toon Link said in amusement.

Charizard sat there sweating, the smash ball still making him glow. He let out a moan, which translated to, "Wh…what do I do _now_?"

Ness made his way over and brought his bat smashing into the side of Charizard's face. The final smash flew out of him. Charizard looked on in fear. Ness stood there, balancing the smash ball on his fingertip, smiling evilly.

"Hehehe…weady to pay fow what you did to my face?"

Charizard whimpered, "N-no! Have mercy!" Then took off running to the opposite side of the stage, roaring in his own language, "Help me master! It's going to kill me! M-Masterrr!!" He dove over the edge of the stage, still shrieking.

Ness stood there looking like the scariest dang thing you ever did see. Well, not really…

He frowned at the smash ball. "Aww, I didn't even get to use the smash baww!" Glancing around, he unobtrusively slipped the ball into his back pocket.

How would he be able to fit such a big ball in his pocket? I'll answer that when you tell me how Animal Crossing characters can fit furniture into _their _pockets.

When the smash ball was safe in his pocket, he disappeared with the usual zap. As soon as he appeared in the Tournament Room, Sammy came running at him and gave him a big hug. Ness smiled happily and they rejoiced that he was still in the tournament.

Then the happiness stopped when Sammy let out a loud, "Agh! Ness, you got blood on my shirt!!"

_Well that reunion lasted about 5 seconds…_ Link thought to himself. Then he stepped forward with a heart container and handed it to Ness, saying, "Here Ness, have a heart container."

"Ooh, candy! Gimme!" Ness said, taking it and stuffing it into his mouth. A second later, he was good as new, all scratches and bruises gone.

"It's not candy…" Link said, sweatdropping.

Sammy looked at Link and said, "Y'know, I always wondered who the guy inside the ship was…controlling all those weapons."

Link looked thoughtful, "Huh…I always figured it was Meta Knight…"

"But that's impossible for him right now." Sammy pointed out.

"Yeah." Link agreed.

"Besides," The boy went on, "whenever he goes to fight at his stage he always ends up being the target."

"Maybe it's Dawk Meta Knight!" Ness cut in.

Sammy looked doubtful. "Why would Meta Knight let Dark Meta Knight on his ship? Didn't he try to kill him?"

"Or maybe the authoress didn't like the fact he was about to swear and zapped him out of the comic." Toon Link said with no emotion whatsoever.

We're, uh, not supposed to talk about that.

"Just forget it…" Sammy sighed, when a loud BEEP rang across the room.

"Beep beep beep!" Mr. Game & Watch bellowed.

Sammy forced a smile at the 2 dimensional man. "Oh, hi Mr. Game & Watch! Ready for your next match?"

Ness let out a scream. "He's sweawin' at me! Sammy! Make him stop! Wahh!" Sammy gave him a look, saying, "Ness, beep is just about all Mr. Game & Watch can say." "Oh." Ness said, "I knew dat! I was just checkin' ta see if you knew…"

Mr. Game & Watch rang his bell in response. He was still ringing his bell like crazy when he disappeared inside the transporter. Ness suddenly looked serious. He looked at his friend. "Hey, Sammy…is youw fight next…?"

"Yeah." Sammy replied, nodding.

"Who awe you against?"

"King DeDeDe."

"Dat guys an idiot! You'll win fow suwe!"

"Uh…Ness." Sammy said nervously. DeDeDe was standing right behind him. The king turned around angrily and growled, "You're diggin' your own grave, boy."

Ness put his hands on his hips and said reasonably, "No siwwy! I'd need a shovel fow that!"

DeDeDe, who had no good comebacks in his bad mood, turned and stomped away. Sammy looked downcast and said to Ness, "Don't provoke him like that…I'm really nervous so I'm gonna go meditate. I need to focus."

Ness tipped his head to one side and said, "Okay. See you in a wittle bit!"

"Yeah…" Sammy sighed, "bye."

As soon as Sammy disappeared into his separate corner, Ness paused, watching the retreating form of King DeDeDe.

"Mista DeDeDe, wait!" He called, racing after him.

Surprisingly, DeDeDe turned around, scowling at the short kid before him. "What do you want now, you little…" He started to say, but Ness waved his arms in front of his face and said quickly,

"Shh! Sammy just weft!" Then he paused to glance around warily, making sure no one was within hearing range. After acting all secret agent-like, he turned to DeDeDe and said in a low voice, "I wanted to ask you somethin'!" He put his arms down and lowered his eyes. "If Sammy can't beat you…pwease don't knock him out…"

DeDeDe laughed, a deep booming laugh, "Heh! Not very much faith in your little friend there. What'll you give me if I do…?"

That was DeDeDe for you. He always wanted something in return. If you do a good deed for him, he'll be good to you, but if he does something good for you, you'll always be in his debt.

Ness paused, wondering what a penguin would want from him. Then he realized DeDeDe's greed and said slyly, "I'ww give you aww of my awwowance!"

"Sweet! It's a deal!" The king said instantly, appearing like a money-obsessed fool.

_Idiot. _Both thought at the same time, turning away from each other. Ness knew he had no allowance—he had spent all of it on his tasty tweats. Of course, Kirby had ended up eating those treats, but luckily for him, the mansion was loaded with food that he had been devouring every day.

Although DeDeDe seemed more like the idiot here, he had a very good plan stuffed up his sleeve. One that he was sure would work. Ness stopped and stood near the TV as the King retreated to a seat near the transporter.

"Ooh, Game & Watch is gonna be feeling that in the morning! Don't mess with Purple Pikmin. There he goes right over the edge! Olimar wins!!"

Ness listened with a sad look on his face as the match ended. He looked around the room, and then spotted his best friend. He ran over, crying out, "Sammy!" Sammy stopped meditating and looked at the red-capped boy in surprise.

Ness gave him a friendly little hug. "You'we gonna do gweat!" He said trying to encourage him like the blonde had encouraged him before his own battle.

"I neva towd you dis, but…you'we wike a big brutha to me! Ow a wittle one…depends if you'we actin' wike a wimp ow not…"

Sammy sweatdropped. Well, coming from Ness, this was a compliment.

"Uh, yeah…so anyways, good wuck!" His friend said, giving him a thumbs-up.

Sammy stood up and gave Ness a pat on the head. "Thanks Ness." He said, smiling.

Then he turned away and walked to the transporter. He got in, and then turned around, looking confident for one of the few moments in his life.

Then, in a brilliant flash, he was gone.

* * *


	11. The Ultimate Chimera

**I don't know all of Ness's moves or if he really does have a P.K. Telepathy, but try to bear with me because it's NOA's fault I can't play Earthbound on the virtual console. So don't criticize me too much if I get anything wrong.**

The stage-chooser read "New Pork City." Ness's eyes widened as he observed it. "Dat's…me and Sammy's stage!" He said to himself.

Sammy rode in on Mr. Saturn's coffee table. He let out a classic, "Huh?" as the announcer started the battle. He looked at the all the Porky crap spread around the large utopia and nearly barfed.

King DeDeDe came riding in with his four Waddle Dee servants. He hopped off of his ride and rested his hammer on his shoulders, looking smug. "Prepare to face the wrath of the Great King DeDe-!" He was electrocuted as a P.K. Thunder made contact with his arm. Sammy stood nearby, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry…" He whimpered, sounding very apologetic. "The announcer said go, so…"

The angry penguin came forward to attack. He attacked very slowly, and brought his hammer down on the spot where Sammy had been standing about ten minutes ago. DeDeDe continued his onslaught, but Sammy was easily able to dodge his large mallet.

Once he was at a safe distance, he let loose a barrage of P.K. Fires, shouting the same thing over and over again. It was enough to make one go insane.

"Aw, gimme a break!" DeDeDe bellowed, trying to get out of the P.K. boy's range. Sammy was quick on his feet, and used P.K. Thunder to his advantage. He hit himself with his own attack, hurtling himself at DeDeDe.

Some call this move P.K. Thunder 2. Others call it P.K. Projectile. Ness calls it P.K. Zapmaself.

Sammy smiled approvingly at the satisfying zapping noise it made. It was truly a good move. DeDeDe was thrown down below stage, and was saved by a flying limousine. He went to get up, tripped, and then sat there like an idiot.

_Thank goodness this flying limousine was here to save my life! _The king thought in relief, _But that kid's not holding back…he's too focused on battle. I've got it! I'll take away his focus…but how? Hmm…_

With a flying leap, he rose back up to where Sammy was standing. With a grunt, he straightened up and faced the blonde, his hammer at his side to show he wasn't about to attack. Sammy stood, looking on in curiosity.

DeDeDe leaned forward and said in a low voice, "I wasn't gonna tell you this, kid, but…I'm going easy on you because I made a deal with your friend…"

"Ness…?" Sammy wondered out loud.

"He told me not to knock you out. I said okay…because I would never hurt an innocent kid like you…but the way he said it was quite…insulting. He said, "Sammy is so weak, he'll need you to go easy on him" and "He's so clingy and annoying, but what can ya do?" I agreed with him, but it pained me to hear him say that about someone as nice as you!" The penguin managed to keep a straight face as he let out a stream of lies.

Sammy listened to all of this quietly. As his opponent finished the long speech, his mouth curled into a disbelieving smirk. He let out a triumphant, "Hah!"

King DeDeDe couldn't help but sweat bullets at this simple word.

Sammy grinned, saying, "Very funny DeDeDe…trying to make me mad, but you're too bad of a liar. First of all, yes, you _would _hurt an innocent kid because you attack Kirby all the time! Secondly, Ness would never say something like that because I know him too well and we're best buds! And third, even if Ness did ask you to lose, you wouldn't keep your end of the deal! So! What do you say to that you ugly--!"

DeDeDe brought his hammer smashing down. Sammy barely avoided being hit, and escaped with only a small bit of damage done. He rolled under DeDeDe, and made a pose like he was about to use the bathroom.

Seriously, he does look like he's about to use the bathroom before this attack.

But DeDeDe knew better than that, and he knew that this was an awesome attack…and it was far too late to escape it now.

Sammy performed his up smash, also known as P.K. Love and sent King DeDeDe flying.

But DeDeDe sure wasn't feeling the love as he went flying to the top of the stage and tumbled down onto the highest platform with a loud SMACK.

_I. Am. Going. To. __Die!_ The words rang out in his head, as he lay there, fatigued.

"That sucks. If New Pork was smaller then DeDeDe would have gone out." Link said, back in the Tournament Room.

"And if he wasn't so fat!" His younger self added.

Ness didn't respond. He was hoping that his friend would be able to do it again, only higher up this time. The TV burst into applause with shouts of "Lucas! Lucas! Lucas!" over and over again.

Poor King DeDeDe. As soon as he heard those, he groaned inwardly, _He's even a crowd favorite…agh! _

"My…name…is…Sammy!!" The P.K. boy suddenly bellowed at the top of his little lungs. The crowd went silent.

"Sammy…Sammy…" They cheered uncertainly.

Sammy sweatdropped, looking surprised at his own actions. "Did I just say that out loud?" He said, looking embarrassed as the crowd quieted down. "Yay Sammy!" Ness smiled from where he was.

King DeDeDe, who was still laying at the top, saw his opponent start to climb the platforms to reach him. He began to panic.

"Hey! D-Don't come up here!" He called down to him, "I'm recuperating!"

The psychic was taken aback and stopped on the platform just below the blue penguin. He looked on in confusion.

"But…what else am I supposed to do?" He said uncertainly.

"I don't know!" The king snarled, "Go away!!"

Sammy turned around at a loud sound behind him. There was a flash of light. A couple yards down from where he was standing appeared…

The Ultimate Chimera.

The monster let out a threatening growl and the frightened boy had to stop from screaming. A smile broke out on DeDeDe's beak. It was the perfect distraction! He leaped into the air, giving a shout of "Finally!"

He brought his hammer smashing down onto the poor P.K. boy. Sammy barely managed to reach up and grab the edge of the platform. He looked down and saw the Chimera standing beneath him, its tail lashing in anticipation.

He looked back up at the triumphant penguin standing before him. King DeDeDe smirked, "Say hi to Kirby for me…" and brought the hammer smashing down onto Sammy's fingers.

Sammy let go.

He screamed as he fell. The Chimera bounded forward and jumped, its oversized mouth wide open to catch its prey. It caught the poor boy with a loud chomp. It shook its head back and forth as if it were some oversized, mutant dog.

Then, with a loud hiss, it released Sammy, who went flying off stage. "Nessss!" Sammy screamed as he went, falling into the darkness below.

He didn't reappear.

"Sammy!" Ness cried out. "P.K. Tewepathy!" Everyone looked on in shock as Ness was surrounded with a purple glow. The glow faded, and Ness slumped to the floor, eyes closed. Toon Link ran to his side.

"Ness, are you okay? Link, he's not breathing!" He said, desperation in his eyes.

"Could he be…meditating?" Link guessed.

Toon Link stood up shakily, hoping his other self was right. "Ness…" He whimpered, looking down sadly at one of his close friends.

* * *

Sammy looked all around him. It was so dark…it felt that the darkness stretched for miles. He sat up with a groan. "I…I lost…" He said sadly, wondering what cruel fate awaited him. He looked down at himself.

His knees were bruised along with his hands and different parts on his face. A long gash ran down his right arm, where the Chimera had dug its teeth in the hardest. The back of his head felt wet, and it was then he knew it was matted with blood. He sighed. It came out as a rattled, shaky sigh, as if he hadn't used his voice in years.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out in his head. _Sammy?_

"Ness?!" Sammy cried out in shock, and tried to stand up. He was barely on his feet when a sharp pain shot up through his legs. He slumped back to the floor, his knees tucked under him in an uncomfortable position.

_Sammy, you've got to get outta thewe! Wun away as fast as you can befowe you get taken too!! _Ness cried out in spirit, his voice going throughout Sammy's head.

"There's nowhere to run…" Sammy whispered in a broken voice, "and my legs…I…I can't move them. I think they're…"

_What?! _

"I'm sorry Ness but…I'm not going anywhere." Tears formed at the corners of his eyes, but he didn't have the strength to brush them away. He let them run down his face.

_Don't say that, Sammy! _Ness pleaded, feeling as if he were going to cry too, _Ya…ya can't let them take you! I'ww neva fowgive myself if you go! Pwease!!_

"It's too late…I've lost this battle." He told his friend, "But you still have a chance. Now go! It's dangerous for you to stay here…I feel a presence approaching."

_No! _Ness said stubbornly.

"You have to go Ness." Sammy insisted, "Your soul could be in danger! I'm cutting the connection…"

Ness wanted to protest, but he couldn't think of anything to say, _But…But… _He stammered, feeling hopeless.

"They're getting closer! Ness…" Sammy whispered, "I have to face this alone now. Thank you for giving me courage and…for talking to me one last time…"

_No! _Ness said in a shrill voice.

"Goodbye Ness…"

_No…No, wait! _"Sammy wait!!" He reached out an arm, blinking open his eyes. He was back in his physical body. It was then he could feel the tears on his face. "Sammy…" He whispered, arm still out in front of him.

"Well there's the little champion!" Someone bellowed, from the other side of the room. Ness got up and saw DeDeDe coming at him with Wario trailing behind. Both looked triumphant.

"Well whaddaya say?" DeDeDe said in a smug, taunting voice, "I kept my end of the deal, didn't I? I said I wouldn't knock him out and I didn't! I let the Chimera handle it! So…about my money…"

Ness clenched his fists, trying to stop from shaking with such immense anger. He looked up, straight into DeDeDe's gloating face. "You want…money…?" He said in a deathly voice.

In a blur of yellow, blue, and red, he threw himself at DeDeDe. The king looked on in surprise as he was knocked flat on his back, an angry little psychic on top of him.

"Hewe's youw fweakin' money, ya big jewk!" He snarled, letting loose a stream of P.K. Sparks down into DeDeDe's throat. The penguin screamed through the painful attacks.

"Ness! Stop!" Someone yelled over the noise.

There was a loud whoosh, and Ness looked up to see Meta Knight coming at him. Ness released the sparks and backed up. The knight held his sword, pointed at Ness. Everyone gasped. "Oh my gosh!" "When did he wake up?!"

For a moment, they both stared at each other. Meta's sword glinted. Ness looked taken aback. With a loud "Huh!" He turned around, throwing his arms into the air as if he didn't care. DeDeDe laughed like nothing had happened and sat up.

"Ah, Meta Knight." He said loudly, "Loyal and true to your master till the very end, huh?" Everyone looked surprised.

"Master?!"

Meta Knight ignored his so-called "master."

"Ness…" He said, turning away from the smug penguin, "I really am sorry about what happened to your friend."

Ness looked over his shoulder, giving the knight a death glare. "No, you aren't." He said in a serious, normal voice. Everyone looked on wide-eyed as Ness continued, "If you were, your eyes would be glowing purple…or some other stupid color." He turned and ran out of the room angrily.

Meta Knight looked dumbfounded. "That's…not true…" He said quietly.

"I wonder what causes him to have those mood swings where he talks normally." Link said, still looking a bit shocked.

"I think he's smarter than everyone gives him credit for…" TL replied.

Meta Knight stood there for a moment longer, before following Ness out. Link stopped him on the way, saying, "Hey Meta Knight! Where you going? Your match is next!"

"I need to talk to Ness."

"Hey, come back!"

The Star warrior ignored him and found Ness standing near the front of the mansion, his eyes focused on the ground. Meta approached from behind.

"Do you remember what happened to Popo, Ness? He confined himself in his room over Nana, and while he was alone, he was taken. Don't force yourself to meet the same fate as him." Meta Knight waited for Ness to say something. When he didn't, he continued on. "Ness…Sammy wouldn't want you to be sad. He wouldn't want you to be taken…he would want you to keep going."

He waited for Ness to say something again, but the psychic didn't look back. Giving up, Meta turned to walk away.

Without warning, he was scooped into the air, and held in a tight embrace. Ness looked down at him, his anger replaced by a big smile.

"…Thank you…" He said happily. He hugged the knight for a moment longer, because we all know puffballs make good hugging material. Meta Knight couldn't help but feel amused at Ness's mood swing.

"Now wet's go watch youw match!" Ness said, setting his new friend down, and talking like himself again, "Who ya against?"

"Uh…Pit."

"Hah!" Ness snorted, trying to make the puffball feel confident, "Pit?! Mowe wike--!"

"Yeahhh…" Meta said quickly, trying to stop Ness from turning this fanfiction rating into a T. "I'm gonna get going."

They walked back to the Tournament Room, where everyone was waiting for them.

"There you guys are!" Link said, upon their arrival, "Meta Knight, hurry and get in the transporter!" The warrior gave the Hylian a nod and headed towards it.

"Good wuck!" Ness waved.

"Thanks…" Meta said quietly. As soon as he entered, the stage was selected. As it turns out, it was Warioware.

"Warioware?" Toon Link grinned, "That place is awesome! It's like a Simon Says game where you get prizes!"

"Yeah, my stage is pretty cool." Wario said, smirking.

Olimar frowned. "I don't know, it kind of…bugs me…"

His Pikmin blinked at him, wondering why he was talking about bugs, and if there was one nearby, why wasn't he sending them to attack it?

The usual picture came up on the screen, where it showed Pit and Meta Knight. A VS. sign flamed in between them.

They appeared at the chosen stage, Meta Knight spinning in with his cape, and Pit gliding in from above. As they appeared, the announcer started yet another fight, with a loud,

"Ready…GO!"

* * *

**I didn't know where to end this chapter…all the good places would have made it too short, so I ended up with this. And it's kind of obvious who's going to win the next battle...I'm not a big fan of Pit. His voice is just so darn annoying. Review, please! I'm going to miss Sammy...  
**


	12. Into the Darkness

**Sorry I didn't put this up sooner, even though I have 20 chapters written. XX I've been busy with making vids on Youtube. Go check them out sometime. :P On a different note, don't you think the lyrics to Mike's Song sound like…? Well…you'll see…**

"Fight me!" Meta Knight challenged, pointing his sword at Pit.

"W-We're not ready yet!" The angel said randomly, scrambling to split his bow into dual swords. Once he did that, he struck a little pose and declared, "The fight is on!"

"Then come!" Meta Knight boomed in his deep voice.

"It's about time they started fighting! I thought they would never stop taunting!" King DeDeDe complained.

TL sweatdropped, saying, "I think Meta is still a little loopy from that tranquilizer dart."

The battle was intense.

Or it would have been intense if Mike's Song hadn't been playing in the background. With words that sounded like, "Mike is gay," and "Mike is gayer than me," it was hard to take the battle seriously.

The two smashers continued to fight, sword on sword. Sometimes they would take to the sky, both beating their wings rapidly as they engaged in aerial combat.

Eventually, when they were both on the ground, Pit got out his large shield to block his opponent's onslaught of attacks.

"Nice try! Nice try! Nice try! Nice-!"

Meta Knight let out an ear-splitting roar. "Shut up! You have the most annoying voice in the world!"

Toon Link laughed, "Definitely a little loopy."

It was then that the stage started to change. Large letters formed in the air above them.

Dodge!

A ninja raced by as arrows started closing in from every direction. Pit, screaming like an idiot, dodged like crazy.

An arrow snagged the end of Meta's cape, pinning him to the ground. It was then that he noticed another arrow coming in horizontally, aimed straight for him. He tugged at the arrow stuck in the ground, but it refused to budge. And he didn't want a new tear in his cape. He couldn't escape the incoming arrow.

Twang!

The arrow struck above him, because of his height. Still, he had been hit and a large blue X formed over him. Pit looked down at himself and saw a large red O. Sparkles surrounded him and he smiled.

"Hey!" He announced for the whole world to hear, "I'm invincible! Come fight me, Meta Knight!" Meta Knight stared at him, wondering if he was serious.

"No…I'll pass."

As MK tried his best to avoid the invincible angel, Pit chased him around the stage, with shouts of,

"C'mere!" "No!" "C'mere!" "No!" "C'mere!" "No!" "Please?" "No!"

Pit looked down at himself to see the sparkles disappearing. He frowned, "…It wore off." But MK didn't hear him. He was still trying to keep well away.

"You'll never catch me!" He called down, zooming through the air, "I'm a better flier than you are!" To prove his point, he crashed headlong into a giant S and fell back down to the stage with an, "Oww."

Stay Dry!

A little dog…cat…thing walked by with an umbrella. They pushed to stay under it.

"Ten second truce?" Pit pleaded, "I don't feel like getting wet!"

Meta agreed, "Deal."

When the challenge was over, Wario's voice echoed throughout the stage with a loud, "Ohh, yeah!" as both got red O's on them. Pit grew really big. "The fight is on!" He said in a really deep voice, practically shaking the small stage.

Two bunny ears popped out of Meta's head. He slapped his face, and muttered, "This isn't happening…"

Toon Link pouted at Meta Knight's reaction to the adorable ears. "I don't think Meta likes his prize very much…"

"At weast he's using it to his advantage." Ness pointed out.

He was right. As Pit landed a couple big blows on Meta Knight, the knight was also able to hit many quick blows on the angel.

A random reporter lady announced, "With Pit twice as strong and Meta Knight extra quick (and adorable!) the competition is in a dead heat! Their health percentage is equally matched! Who will win this insane match?!"

Pit shrunk back to normal size as Meta's ears disappeared.

The winged boy stood there, panting. "I can't…go on…"

The swordsman was in the same condition. "Getting weak…" He murmured.

Nonetheless, they attacked each other with a loud clash of the swords. As they tried to land more blows on each other, yet another set of words appeared above.

Don't Move!

Everything froze.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"…"

"…"

"Aw, what the heck."

Slash!

Pit screamed as he was knocked out. Meta Knight had walked over and struck him with a down smash while he was still standing there, not moving.

"Meta Knight wins the last battle of the day!"

With the usual zap, Meta appeared in the transporter. He got out. Everyone was looking at him. Their numbers had been cut yet again.

Meta Knight let out a weary sigh, and said, "Well…that's it."

* * *

"Mmph! Dis is da best food I've eva eaten!! Its even betta than ma mom's! Who made it?"

"Zelda made it." Link said, looking thoroughly depressed. Ness shut up and continued to eat his beef stew.

"Haha!" Wario said through a mouthful of potatoes and carrots, "It _is _pretty good! Too bad she's gone, huh?"

Link didn't respond.

It was dinnertime. He knew he shouldn't let Wario provoke him while everyone else was eating their food.

TL looked to MK on his left. Meta Knight sat there, staring down at his bowl of stew. The young Hylian couldn't help but ask, "How are you going to eat the stew with your mask on?"

"Simple." He replied, pulling out a straw. He proceeded to dip it in and suck up chunks of gravy and other small morsels.

The poor toon pushed his bowl away in disgust. "Stew with a straw…I think I lost my appetite." He groaned, pretending to puke. A hand snatched the bowl away from him. Toon Link looked on in shock as Ness poured the beef stew down in throat in one gulp. "M-my stew! What do you think you're doing?!" He said in a shrill voice.

Ness smiled happily. "I'm doin' you a favow! You said you wost you'we appetite!"

"I didn't mean it…" TL sniffled. Ness got up and the Hylian followed with a glare.

"We'we done!" Ness said, looking at the other Link, "Hey Wink! Come pway Brawl with us!" Link couldn't help but feel annoyed.

_Why do I always get dragged into this? _Link thought to himself. "No thanks." He told them. Ness whined.

"But we need one more!" Toon Link translated from the whine. Snapdragon, who had joined them, let out a small noise of agreement.

"Okay!" The boys said, pulling a box out of nowhere. "Get in the box, Meta Knight." "We're kidnapping you."

Meta Knight wrapped his cape around him firmly and said reasonably, "You don't have to force me. I'll come play if you want."

"Oh. Okay." Ness said.

"But you still have to ride up in the box!" TL insisted.

Meta Knight rolled his gleaming yellow eyes. "Why me…I'm never sleeping in a box again." He looked at the box they had drawn all over and practically killed.

"Get in Meta!"

* * *

"Snapdragon, what are you doing? You really suck."

The Yellow Pikmin was swinging his Wii remote around stupidly, making his character (Olimar) go over the edge every time the spaceman appeared. Toon Link tried to stop him by attacking, but failed, and plunged over the edge himself.

Snapdragon squealed in delight as more Pikmin died. What a sick little Pik Pik…

"Stop walking off the edge! It's no fun if you don't play seriously!" TL snapped. The other two stood idly by, watching Snapdragon send Olimar over the edge once more.

Meta Knight's eyes turned green. "Ness…" He said to the psychic, "Are you noticing anything strange?" Ness didn't reply, so he continued, "There's a small explosion whenever someone falls off the stage. Those explosions haven't been in the tournament."

"You think…that Sammy is unda New Powk City?"

"I doubt it." TL said, entering the conversation, "If someone's taking them, they won't be down there anymore."

"But…but…maybe the kidnappa has his hideout unda the stages. It's wowth checkin'…wight?"

"I suppose…" Meta Knight said slowly, "Since Jigglypuff didn't look around down there much." Ness and Snapdragon cried out happily. Toon Link was the only one displeased.

"W-We're going…down…down _there_?!" He said shakily, fear tingeing his voice.

"You don't have to come if you don't want." Meta Knight replied.

"No…I'll come." He said, trying not to look nervous.

"Then let's go."

They followed the knight to the steps. He led the way down while they trailed behind. Ness turned to his friend, whispering, "Should we ask Wink to come?"

"Nah." TL murmured, "Meta Knight's good enough. He's an adult, isn't he?" Suddenly, TL called down the steps, "Hey Meta Knight, how old are you?"

"…Let's keep going, shall we?"

Toon Link shivered. _He…he didn't answer!_

Ness just blinked. Oh well, it didn't really matter, since Meta Knight was a different…um, species? What is Meta Knight anyway? Some kind of blue marshmallow?

They reached the transporter, made sure no one was around, and got in. Meta Knight pressed a few buttons on it, and before they knew it, they were standing in a deserted New Pork City.

They walked over to the edge to the left of the stage, near where Sammy had fallen. Snapdragon hopped onto Meta's back. "Let's go." He told the boys, and began to glide down. Ness noticed Link trembling and sweating.

"Haha!" He teased, "Winkypoo's scawed!"

"Hey!" TL growled, "I've ventured countless dungeons, fought innumerable bosses, and saved Hyrule many times. What's wrong with feeling a little scared at times? Haven't you ever been scared by anything?"

"Weww…"

_Flashback: Pokey used Ness as a shield!_

"Maybe a wittle…"

Toon Link nodded, "Yeah, well, let's not wait for the Chimera to appear, shall we?"

They hopped off the edge of the stage and fell down into the darkness. Toon Link freaked out as soon as he reached the bottom.

"It's so dark…Ness!" He shrieked, "Where's Ness?!"

"Wight hewe dummy." Ness said, standing right next to him. "Now quit with da constant wowwying!"

Snapdragon let out a terrified whimper that seemed to fill the darkness.

"Stop your moaning, Snapdragon." Meta Knight told him sternly.

"P.K. Fire!" Ness shouted suddenly. They looked back to see the psychic balancing a thin flame on the tip of his finger. It lit up the small part of blackness that they were standing in, but it didn't help much.

Even the floor was black—it felt like they were trapped in a black blanket.

"Sammy?" Ness called into the darkness, "Sammyyy?" He turned and started to walk away. "Wet's keep wooking."

TL stifled a scream. Everyone looked back at him. "We'll never find any of them, even if they _are _down here!" He said desperately, "It all looks the same! Just dark, dark, and dark! Now let's go before we're next!!"

Meta Knight cut him off with a sharp, "Sh!" Toon Link jumped. Ness looked on, eyes wide with curiosity. "Someone's coming." He told them.

Snapdragon moaned, holding his head and shivering.

"Snapdragon! You're going to give away our position!" Meta Knight hissed, acting like he was back in the war.

Snapdragon's quiet moaning evolved into a loud cry. He turned and raced off into the dark. "Snapdragon!" Meta Knight shouted, and took off after him.

"Meta Knight, wait!" Toon Link squeaked in pure horror as half their team disappeared into the eternal blackness. "Wh-Where'd they go? They just vanished!"

"Meta Knight shouldn't have gone afta Snapdwagon." Ness said sensibly. Toon Link cowered behind Ness, taking deep breaths to try and keep his cool.

It was then they heard the noises.

Tap...tap…tap…tap…

It sounded like someone's shoes. Toon Link thought for a second that it was Meta Knight, but why would the knight be approaching so slowly? And where was the usual clink of armor that came with his walking?

Ness exchanged a glance with Toon Link. Without a word, he held the fire up higher, in hopes that they would see who—or what—was approaching. The flame flickered a few times, and went out. They were plunged into nothingness.

"Ness…?" Little Link called out, not recognizing his own voice because of the fear that overwhelmed it. "Ness!!"

"Toon Wink!" Ness screamed back, "We gotta get outta hewe!"

* * *


	13. RedEyed Demon

**Sorry, you were probably expecting big things, but it's a bit…anticlimactic. I hope you enjoy it anyways. As always, there's more humor and action to come, plus a scary dream that a certain missing smasher appears in…and just so you know, dreams are in _italics. _Yet, the italics weren't working in a lot of places so I hope they're there when I put this up. Leave a review, k?  
**

Someone was coming toward them quickly. They could see its large figure ahead in the darkness. They cried out in fear.

Toon Link scrambled towards the sound of Ness's voice. They moved toward each other, when they heard more noises behind them. Turning around, they saw two yellow eyes piercing the darkness, another form coming from behind.

Both boys screamed.

There was a whoosh of air as Toon Link felt himself being lifted off his feet. He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for his end, but it never came.

When he opened them, he saw New Pork City rushing towards them. The darkness was gone: he could now see because of the light. He looked up into the gentle amber eyes of their savior.

"Meta Knight!" Toon Link said, half shocked, half relieved. With surprising strength, the swordsman flew them towards the city. Link felt his relief placed by dread as he noticed one missing from their group. "Where's Snapdragon? Is he okay?"

Meta Knight didn't answer.

Just when the two kids had assumed the worst, a little yellow face appeared between Meta Knight's velvet wings. "Hi!" Snapdragon squeaked, riding upon Meta's back.

Both sighed in relief. Meta Knight landed gracefully on the stage, then threw the kids to the ground, not so gracefully.

TL grunted and sat up. Ness rubbed his head, then looked at the others, wondering what to do next.

"I set the timer to transport us back in two more minutes." Meta Knight said firmly, "We were almost attacked. We're not coming back. The missing smashers are not down there."

Ness had a melancholy expression and said sadly, "Yeah…okay."

TL stared at the knight, sweatdropping, "Hey, uh Meta…that Pikmin's still on your head."

Meta Knight's eyes glowed with amusement. "Oh…yes." He reached up, grabbed the yellow pikmin by the stalk, and placed it on the ground.

Ness smiled. "Ooh! Wooks wike Meta Knight has a soft spot fow da wittle pikpik" He taunted, clutching his cheeks and rolling his eyes.

Toon Link gave him a look, hissing, "Ness! Shut up!"

Meta Knight's eyes turned green as he said slowly, "He reminds me of…a certain friend I used to know." The image of a Waddle Dee popped into his mind. As the conversation ended, they were teleported back to the mansion where they talked one last time before going their separate ways.

"Well, I guess they aren't down there." Meta Knight said simply as Snapdragon attempted to climb back onto his head.

"But if they're not…where are they?" The little Hylian pondered.

"I don't know. Since there's no new plan, we'll have to keep fighting."

Ness remained silent, for once.

Toon Link let out a loud yawn, saying, "Well, I'm beat! What time is it?"

"It's almost nine." The veteran Star warrior replied, "You should get to bed soon. After all…tomorrow is a big day…"

"Come on Ness, let's go!" Little Link called to his friend, racing towards the stairs. The psychic followed more slowly with the usual, "Uh, okay!"

Meta shook Olimar's Pikmin off of his head, telling it, "Come on, Snapdragon. Let's get you back to Olimar." He led it towards the lounge and peeked into the room with a quiet, "Olimar?"

Olimar sat in front of the TV with Link as it said in a deep voice, "Previously on Lost…" He put the magazine he was reading down, and turned to look at MK. "Oh Snapdragon. There you are." He said. The rest of the Pikmin took off running towards their friend. Snapdragon was happy to see them too, until the purple one body-slammed him into the ground. He shrieked in terror.

Olimar didn't look up from his magazine, saying calmly, "Looks like Lilac's happy to see you too."

Meta Knight strolled over to the couch and jumped onto it, facing Olimar. "Hey, are you against Ness tomorrow?" He asked.

"Hmm…yes." Olimar said, not taking his eyes off the article he was reading.

"Go easy on him, okay? He's a good kid…"

Olimar held up the magazine and pointed to a large picture of Ness along with some other random people. "Would this be the same kid we're talking about?"

Curious, Meta Knight took the magazine from the spaceman and read it out loud.

"Top 5 Idiot-Celebrities Most Likely To Blow Up Their Own Homes…"

There was a long pause.

"That's him."

Olimar sweatdropped, saying, "Yeah…I'm gonna go to bed…Come on, Pikmin!" He turned and marched out of the room, his Pikmin following in a little line. As they exited, the little plant aliens hummed an army song. The two swordsmen on the couch watched them go.

"Link…" Meta Knight said quietly, looking at the Hylian.

Link smiled wearily. "Toon Link was right. Ness is smarter than everyone gives him credit for."

"He said that?" Meta Knight said, amazed that the sharp-tongued youth had said something so nice about his friend, when usually, the two argued a lot.

"Yeah." Link confirmed. "So, uh…wanna watch Lost with me?"

"Sure." Meta replied, and they sat down to watch it together.

* * *

It was about ten at night. A certain smasher was sound asleep at that time, the clock making soft ticking noises in their darkened room. If one were to enter that room, they would see the sleeping form of that smasher. From far back, it looked like the fighter was sleeping peacefully, not a single worry on their mind as they dreamt.

But if one stepped closer, they would see how stressed that certain smasher was, as they groaned and sweat nervously in their sleep. They weren't having a dream…they were having a nightmare.

_Where am I…? Ness wondered, looking down to see himself wearing his regular clothing. He glanced around. Everything was dark…even the floor. When he looked up, he could see no light. He looked down at himself again._

_It's so dark…but why am I all lit up…? Ness thought, observing his lit up hands with a sleepy interest._

_"Hello Ness." Came a sudden voice, and Ness spun around, startled. He saw his lost friend Sammy stepping towards him._

_"Sammy!" He cried out joyfully._

_"Miss me?" Sammy said, smiling. Ness stared at him. Why was Sammy lit up too? And why was he so happy? Surely, this was nothing to smile about! Sammy just kept smiling, his eyes closed from the size of the smile. Ness blinked slowly, waiting for his friend to open his eyes, but they remained closed._

_Ness's joy changed to shock._

_"Awe you okay?" He asked desperately, throwing his arms up, "Whewe awe you? Awe the west of the smashas thewe?!"_

_He couldn't stand how calm the other psychic looked, but Sammy voice soothed him, as he said, "We're all fine Ness. As for where we are…" He motioned all around him, "Why don't you come find us?"_

_Ness watched as shadows came into view. He could pick out Pokemon Trainer, Zelda, Jigglypuff, Bowser, Kirby, Mr. Game & Watch, Pit…wait! These were the smashers that had gone today! Then Ness thought about Sammy's statement._

_"But…" He said, frowning, "But then I would have to--!"_

_"Lose?" Sammy interrupted, eyes still closed as he beamed at Ness, "Oh Ness, it's fine. You'll be safe. You DO care about your friends more than that tournament, right?"_

_Ness just stared at him. Sammy waited for an answer. "Sammy…" Ness said slowly, "Why haven't you opened youw eyes?"_

_He saw the psychic's features twitch slightly. "…Excuse me?"_

_There was a long pause, as Ness gazed at him. "…You'we not Sammy…awe you?"_

_Another pause._

_Sammy giggled. "Ahaha! You silly! Of course I'm Sammy! Who else would I be?"_

_Ness clenched his teeth as a sudden rage flowed through his veins. He sprang forward to grab the imposter's shoulders. "Wook me in the eye and say that!" He demanded._

_Sammy kept smiling…but suddenly, his eyebrows curved downwards. If he hadn't been smiling so much, he would have looked angry. "Well okay Ness!" He said cheerily. There was a flash of red and his eyes flew open._

_Ness found himself looking into pupiless, crimson eyes…eyes that belonged to his friend!_

_"I'm Sammy…" The demon-like boy cackled, "Is that better?"_

_"Ah…" Ness said in a wavering voice as he tried to scream, but no sound would come out of his mouth. His throat felt as dry as sandpaper._

_Sammy shoved a finger in his face, smirking, "We'll be seeing you soon Ness. Real soon." Sammy drew back, laughing evilly._

_Then Ness found his voice and screamed._

"Ness, are you okay?!"

"Ah…Ahh-!"

"Wake up! I'm here…everything's going to be fine."

Ness stopped screaming and looked up. "L…Link." He whimpered. Link stared at him, concern flooding his face. Ness swallowed and sat up. "I saw Sammy in a dream." He explained, dead serious, "His eyes were red…the other smashers were with him."

Link could tell the psychic wasn't lying when he talked so…normal. The swordsman nodded, believing his words. "Do you know where this was?" He asked gently.

"No." Ness responded, and closed his eyes. "It's just like the dream I had last night about Popo…" Link's eyes widened, but he said nothing, waiting for Ness to continue.

_"I…I can't sleep without you, Nana." Popo cried softly, sitting on his bed. He looked up as his door creaked up. "Huh?" He sniffed._

_For a second, he thought he had seen red eyes boring into him, but the next moment…there stood Nana! She was smiling brightly, and her eyes were closed as the smile overtook her face._

_"Oh Popo!" She said happily, "You're awake! I wanna show you something…"_

_Popo wiped away his tears and jumped off the bed excitedly. "Nana!" He exclaimed, "How did you-?"_

_"Never mind that!" She said quickly, "Come with me!"_

_Popo looked confused, but still overjoyed to see his sister. "Uh, I don't think we…"_

_"Oh, I'm sorry!" Nana said suddenly, frowning. "I thought you missed me…but I guess I was wrong."_

_Popo looked on, shocked. "Nana…wait!" He said, as she turned to leave. He caught up with her, offering a small smile. "Of course I'll come with you. Let's go!" She opened the door and Popo walked out of the room. Nana hesitated and turned to the boy sitting on the bookshelf._

_"Looks like some people like to have prophetic dreams…eh, Ness?" She grinned. "Oh well. We'll just have to use that to our advantage."_

_Ness blinked, stunned. One minute he had been in bed, falling asleep, and the next he was in the Ice Climber's room, sitting on top of their bookshelf! At first he had thought it was a strange dream, but now he was amazed that it could actually be real._

_"You can…see me?" He asked, but Nana just smiled. Then she turned and left, leaving the poor boy to wonder what had happened._

"Wow…so that's what happened?" Link said in amazement.

"Yeah…" Ness replied, letting out a snicker. "Popo means butt in Gewman, y'know." He told the swordsman, sounding like his old self.

"Ness! Get serious here!" Link said, annoyed. But then he realized that it might have been a good thing that Ness was sounding less worried. "Anyways, I think you had a prophetic dream. It's what has happened, what is happening, or what's going to happen. I think that's what's going on here. When Nana—or whatever possessed Nana—saw you in that dream, they must have realized this and decided it would be easy to send you dreams! How they saw you last night or how they managed to break into your dreams, I have no idea…"

"But I don't want to have that dweam again…what should I do?" Ness asked, clutching his blanket. Link sat on the edge of the bed, looking thoughtful.

"Well, sleep is pretty important, but you don't want to keep getting these dreams. How about this…try to get some sleeping, but if they come, wake up and try your best to not fall asleep."

Ness gave him big puppy dog eyes. "Can I dwink coffee?"

"NO."

Ness made a face. Link glared at him, making him sigh, "I'll twy…it's just weally quiet in hewe without Sammy…"

"I noticed you were sleeping on his part of the bunk." Link said blankly.

"Cuz I miss him!" Then he stood up to put his hands on his hips dramatically, banged his head on the top bunk, and fell back down. So he just settled for putting his hands on his hips while lying down. "Fiwst thing tomawow, I'm goin' out and getting me a fwend to keep me company at night so I won't have to feew so wonely!"

"Just make sure you don't bring in a wild animal." Link warned, "Remember the raccoon from the 1st tournament?"

Ness looked thoroughly surprised. "Waccoon? I thought dat was a squiwwel!"

"Yeah, well, I don't think Pikachu liked rabies anymore than Fox would've liked distemper."

"Oh…yeah…" Ness said, sweatdropping.

"Well, I've gotta get going. Meta Knight and I are going around reminding everyone to lock their doors." Then Link realized he hadn't told Ness to lock his door. "Er, speaking of which, lock your door, okay?"

"Okay!" Ness said, getting up to do his taunt, but banging his head on the top bunk again.

"Well, good night!" Link said, not bothering to notice Ness losing more brain cells.

"Night Wink!" Ness called when he had recovered. "Oh…Wink…? How many awe weft?" Link stopped, halfway out the door. He let out a sigh and said,

"Lucario, Wario, Toon Link, Olimar, DeDeDe, Meta Knight, you, and me. That makes…only 8."

"Onwy eight…" Ness said quietly, "Dis touwnament has gone weally fast…"

"Yeah, well, it's not over yet. We're not even to the semifinals." Link pointed out, "And eventually…"

_All will be gone…but one._

"Eventuwawy what, Wink?" Ness questioned, interrupting his private thoughts. Link waved an arm, saying, "Oh, never mind. I should really let you get to bed, so uh…see you tomorrow." And with that, he made his exit, shutting the door behind him.

As soon as it was closed, Ness got up to walk over to it. He reached for the little key hanger by the door and saw that only one key was on the hook.

"Wasn't thewe…two keys hewe?" He wondered out loud. Then he shrugged it off with a smile. "Oh, cwumsy Sammy. He must have mispwaced it…"

He grabbed the key and locked the door. Then he hung the key back on its hook and turned off the lights. He made his way back to bed, and climbed in, pulling the covers over himself and closing his eyes.

_Wheweva you awe Sammy…_ He thought to himself, _I hope you'we okay._

* * *

**Aww, Ness is such a sweetie. The next chapter is going to end my 2****nd**** comic about somewhere in the middle of it. I wanted to end it here because of how long it was. Plus, it was a pretty good, non-cliffhanger place to end. **


	14. Recreation Time

**Man, I am so sore from Band Camp, but even though it's been really busy, I'm still forcing myself to put up the next chapter! Oh and I made a video trailer thing for this on Youtube. I'm pretty sure links don't work on here so I'll put it on my profile. That or you can search for SSBB Tournament of Terror and it will come up. Leave a comment either on the video or this next chapter! Yay!**

Meta Knight slinked through the darkness, his golden eyes casting a faint glow on his surroundings. He crept along the wall, feeling for the switch that would illuminate the hall with light. His glove met with something hard and he flicked it upwards. Light flooded the hallway.

Two Waddle Dees standing guard in front of a nearby door crossed the spears they were holding and looked at Meta Knight suspiciously. He let out a sigh from behind his cape wrapped around him.

"Oh come now, you know who I am."

The Waddle Dees exchanged a glance, and then lowered their spears, letting Meta Knight pass. He opened the door part way and looked around the corner at DeDeDe, who was lying in bed reading a book.

"Just a reminder…" He said quietly, "remember to lock your door tonight." He turned to leave, but DeDeDe stopped him in his tracks with a gruff, "Meta Knight." The knight froze and turned around, slowly walking into the room.

"Your majesty…?" He said uncertainly.

The king smiled at his servant and said, "You may already know this, but I'm against you tomorrow. You've done a great job, but your role has ended. Tomorrow, you are going to make it look like you are fighting me and then you are going to lose. Don't even think of disobeying me…if you actually think you can take me on, then I will bring you down the hard way. You will never win. When I ordered you to defeat Kirby, you were weak and you could not carry out the task…"

"Because I wasn't trying to defeat him." Meta Knight muttered, "I was trying to train him." DeDeDe suddenly grew angry.

"Either way, this is your chance to prove your loyalty to me! If you fail, I will exile you from Dreamland! Even if I am not around to carry this out, my _loyal _servants will!" He snapped, glowering at the masked puffball.

Meta Knight paused. "As you wish." He said finally.

DeDeDe smirked. "…I'm glad we understand each other."

Meta Knight stepped out the door, shutting it behind him. "Good night, then…" He trailed off, staring into space. Suddenly, his eyes blazed red, and his wings burst from his back. He clawed a nearby end table in rage and the vase on it tumbled off, soaking the floor with water. The Waddle Dees clutched each other, whimpering in fear as the knight glided down the hall to another room.

Without a second thought, he opened it and burst inside, turning on the light.

Toon Link let out a startled shout, but calmed down when he saw whom it was. "Meta, you scared me! Hey! What's wrong?" Meta Knight just stood in the doorway, not saying anything. The young boy gasped, "Your eyes…were they just…red?!" He wondered what could have made the knight so angry and shivered slightly.

Meta Knight, sensing the little Hylian's fear, calmed himself. His eyes turned back to their normal coloring and he stood there, trembling.

"Never mind that…" He said, ashamed he had lost control of his emotions so easily, "I have a question. Zelda and Sammy…they were your friends. Were they not?"

Toon Link's eyes shone with tears, as he said, "Well yeah…Ness has been getting attention over Sammy, but what about me?" He wiped at his eyes, saying angrily, "Nobody's thought about how I feel at all!"

Meta Knight listened to the boy quietly. He sounded so envious of his friend, and so sad that he had lost two of his own…

"Sammy…he was one of my best friends…and Zelda was like a big sister to me! I might never see them again!!" He sniffed, thinking of the two friendly fighters.

Meta Knight saw his chance. "Wario and King DeDeDe knocked them out…" He said suddenly. Toon Link snapped his head around, staring at the swordsman in surprise.

"…DeDeDe and…Wario?" He said, his eyes not teary anymore.

"Are you familiar with the tournament order for tomorrow?" Meta Knight asked, pulling out his sword and feeling its tip, as if testing its sharpness. Since Toon Link usually had no idea who he was against, he answered the question for him. "Tomorrow, I am against DeDeDe and you are against Wario."

"Wario…" Toon Link growled, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

_I hate him! _He thought, full of venom. He remembered all the bad things the evil man had ever done. Turning Peach into a trophy, kidnapping Ness, picking on Sammy, taking all those trophies, pushing Zelda off the edge…

He snapped out of his reverie to see Meta Knight staring at him. "Yeah, so, what's your point?" Link asked, arching an eyebrow. He faintly wondered why the swordsman was telling him this. The vengeful knight swiped his sword through the air as lightning crackled outside, bringing with it the deep rumble of thunder.

"My point is…" He said in his deep voice, "Tomorrow is the day we take our revenge…"

* * *

Once again, the sun rose over the distant mountain. It illuminated the Smash Mansion, bringing light into their darkened rooms. A clock ticked to read 7:00 A.M. and went off. A gloved hand reached over and patted it, making it stop.

_For the past two nights, I have been wishing to myself that it is all a dream…that I'm going to wake up on my ship, never having been invited to the third of the smash tournaments… _Meta Knight thought, watching the sunrise. He sat up in bed, still clothed in his mask and armor. He rarely ever took them off, even to sleep. Stretching, he moved to the edge of the bed to jump off. Before doing so, he let out a long sigh.

_I keep telling myself that. But it is just false hope._

* * *

Meta Knight opened his door that moment to come face to face with a miniature version of himself, only with bunny ears.

"Fight me!" The small bunny knight challenged in a high, squeaky voice. Meta Knight's eyes widened. "Wh…Wha…?" He said, confused. Then he noticed a hand holding the bunny knight. Ness popped out from behind the door, grinning.

"Ya wike it? They stawted makin' em yestaday!" He said happily, "It's gonna keep me company when I'm wonewy at night, without Sammy."

Meta Knight blinked, wondering if the psychic was serious or if he was just trying to provoke him. "But…why me?" He asked.

"Why? Because you comfowted me!" Then Ness held up the doll and pulled a string in the back. "Pwus, youw wittle wabbit eaws awe just so dawn cuuute!" He said, making gooey face at him. Yeah, he was definitely trying to provoke him.

Meta Knight scowled under his mask as the doll stated in an embarrassing voice, "Victory…is my destiny!" "Wonderful." He growled, turning to walk away, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make breakfast."

"Ooh!" Ness exclaimed, looking excited, "Can I make pancakes?"

"…No."

* * *

Link was down in the lounge, leaning against the wall. Lucario came down and leaned against the other wall, looking grumpy. Link looked out the window, trying to think of something to say. "Looks like the storm past." He said after a moment, "It's going to be a nice day…ironic, don't you think?" "Hmph." Lucario responded. Suddenly, Link sniffed the air, catching a whiff of a delicious aroma. "What's that smell?" He asked to no one in particular, wandering towards the kitchen.

"It's bacon!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he entered the room.

Meta Knight (who was standing on the table) shot him a look, as he served Ness a couple steaming pieces of bacon from a pan. Link laughed nervously and took a seat. "Sorry, I just felt the need to do that. So, uh, can I have some?"

The knight walked over and put some bacon on his plate, when a little hand reached out and intercepted it. Link looked on in surprise as his other self devoured his breakfast. "Toon Link! That was my bacon!" He said angrily.

Meta Knight put some more on his plate, saying, "Relax. I made enough for the four of us." Link smiled sheepishly. "Oh, thanks."

"Mmm! Dis is weally good!" Ness said, munching on a delicious strip of the bacon.

"Who would have known Meta Knight was a good cook?" Link said, "Well…I guess he would have to be. Living on the Halberd and all…"

"But why bacon?" Toon Link asked the puffball sleepily, "What made you want to cook bacon?" Meta Knight grabbed a long strip of bacon, slipped it under his mask, and took a bite.

"I like bacon…" He said quietly.

Suddenly, the bacon was snatched out of his hands by a certain king.

"Well whaddya know, Meta Knight!" DeDeDe said, gloating, "I like it too. Thanks for giving me yours!"

"Meta Knight, don't take that crap!" Toon Link shouted.

"Smite him!" Ness urged, wanting to see the penguin get a taste of his own medicine.

"…Meta Knight?" TL watched, wide-eyed as the warrior merely turned and left the room. DeDeDe grinned evilly, biting into the bacon.

_He knows his place… _The penguin thought to himself, _now it's time to bring him down!_

* * *

Later that day, everyone took the time before the tournament started to relax and enjoy themselves. Since some felt that they wouldn't be coming back, it was best to have fun while they could. Ness, always ready for fun, was down in the lounge. He had hooked up some DDR dance pads to the TV and was busily messing around with it while TL watched from the couch.

"Lessee hewe…" Ness said, as his friend dozed off. "Aw yeah, I did it! With some awesome hacking…a couple o' glitches…and my bwilliant mind, I have joined DDR and SSBB to cweate…SSBDDR!"

Wind Waker Link stood up, looking excited. "Sweet!" He howled, "Let's dance to "Molgera's Theme!""

"Ha!" Ness snorted, "Molgewa is way past ouw skiww wevel. We'we doing "Unfounded Wevenge."" Once again, the boys were trying to start a fight.

"They're on the same skill level, genius!" TL snapped.

"So what?" Ness growled, "Molgewa sucks!"

Olimar, who happened to be passing by with his Pikmin, looked over at them. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Whoa!" They gasped, turning away from their argument.

"Owwie, come dance fow us! Youw one of da best dancas in Supa Smash Bwos!"

_Ollie? _Olimar thought in disgust. Ness handed out such weird nicknames… "Sorry, I'm meeting Meta Knight for badminton." He said, glad he had an excuse.

"Pleeaaase?" Toon Link whined, "Just one! You're the awesomest dancer ever!"

"Oh, I'm not that good…" Olimar muttered, embarrassed.

"You'we kiddin' wight? Aww youw taunts awe dances!" Ness said, recalling Olimar's sweet moves he would perform during fights, as his Pikmin gathered around him.

"Yeah!" His toon friend agreed, "I bet you could even dance to "Fountain of Dreams," that's the hardest one on here!"

Olimar turned away. "Maybe some other time. Take Snapdragon. I know you're friends so he'll play with you. Now I've got to get going—see you." Snapdragon ran over to them, with a loud shriek of joy.

"Yay, we got Snapdwagon back!" Ness rejoiced, as Olimar left the room to head outside. Toon Link jumped onto a dance pad and selected Fountain of Dreams. "Let's do this!" He said dramatically as they took their places.

Meanwhile…

Splash!

Link jumped into the pool, creating a large wave as he hit the water. He remained under for a moment then broke the surface with a gasp. "Ahh…it feels nice to take a dip…" He said, but a strange feeling suddenly overcame him.

_For some reason, I feel like I'm being watched. _He looked at the other two who were relaxing at the pool in the courtyard with him. DeDeDe was lying on a chair, bunny-shaped shades resting on his face. Lucario meditated not too far off, eyes closed. Link stared at them for a moment, and when he felt sure that they weren't acting suspicious, he looked over to some bushes on the other side of the electric fence. (Yeah, they needed electric fences around the mansion, and we all know why.) The bushes rustled in the wind. Link shrugged, and then continued to swim. _Eh, I guess it's nothing._

Little did he know of all the pictures the fan girls in the bushes had taken of him in his green swim trunks…

Meanwhile…(Again)

A birdie soared through the air as a racket sent it flying over a net. Another racket countered it, sending it back, and so on.

The badminton match would have been fun to watch. The two smashers were using their special abilities to play the sport, which made it twice as interesting to watch than a regular old badminton game.

Wock!

Meta Knight flew ten feet up and hit the birdie with all his might.

Clack!

Olimar used Pikmin Chain to send the Pikmin up at it, while little Teaberry held onto the racket at the end.

Another smasher by the name of Wario was watching this in disgust. He wasn't enjoying the game for what it was, and was rooting for them to lose. He groaned, "When are you guys gonna miss it?!" The two competitors ignored him and continued to serve it back and forth. Finally, he got fed up with it.

"Now this is the right way!" He shouted, leaping into the air to break apart the Pikmin Chain and snatch the racket. Teaberry squealed in terror as she tumbled to the ground and lay there, injured. Wario proceeded to whack the birdie really hard so it was sent hurtling straight at the off guard knight.

Clang!

Meta Knight flinched as the birdie struck his mask. Wario guffawed, "Now that's how ya do it! Haha!"

"Teaberry, are you okay?!" Olimar cried out, rushing to the white Pikmin's side.

Meta Knight tried to, but he couldn't hold in the rage that consumed him. He dropped his racket and replaced it with his sword.

"Have you no respect?!" He roared, very un-Meta Knight-like, "What have those Pikmin ever done to you?! What have _I_ ever done to you?!" He rushed at Wario, brandishing his sword. Wario looked surprised.

"Err…" He stammered, not quite sure of what to do.

"Answer the question!!" Meta snapped, eyes blazing.

The fat man swallowed and said in a hoarse voice, "W-well s-since DeDeDe's been taking advantage of you lately, I thought that if I did it, y-you wouldn't…"

"You thought I wouldn't _mind_?!" Meta Knight hissed, finishing the sentence for him. "You pathetic fool!" He raised his sword, as if he were about to bring it down. Then his eyes faded back to the usual yellow and he pointed it at him calmly.

"When Toon Link defeats you today…I will laugh." He said, and turned away.

As he retreated across the grass lawn, Wario bucked up his courage and shouted angrily after him, "Oh yeah? Well I'm not gonna lose to a stuck-up snot like him! Ha! Ya hear me?!"

Olimar watched as the game ended. Lilac and Peppermint helped Teaberry up and the spaceman turned to look at them. "Let's go back in, Pikmin." He sighed, and, his faithful Piks forming a line behind him, headed for the door.

* * *

**Two words: Emotional Turmoil!**


	15. Lost Hope

**Another update! I have school starting soon so this might be the last one for a while, which stinks, because it ends on a cliffhanger. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to update sooner than I think.**

** On a brighter note, a certain character has pulled ahead in the poll so there are no longer a bunch of ties. In first place we have the lovable Ness (Ness: WOO!) and in last is Toon Link. (TL: WHAT!) So if you haven't voted already, make sure you do!**

"I lost again…" Toon Link muttered, looking at the points on the screen.

"Betcha didn't know I was such a good danca!" Ness said, smirking.

The Hylian shot a glance at Snapdragon and said, "Well…at least I can't be as bad as Snapdragon. He sucks at this worse than Super Smash Brothers." The Yellow Pikmin mewled happily as it poked at the arrows.

"Toon Link." Came a voice from behind them, causing the poor boy to jump in surprise.

"Ahh! Why do you always have to sneak up on me?!" Toon Link demanded, looking wide-eyed at Meta Knight.

"Would you like to train with me?" The old warrior asked, ignoring the question.

Little Link's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh…yeah! Of course!" He said quickly, wondering why the Star Warrior was asking.

"Then meet me in the Training Room in ten minutes." Meta Knight replied, leaving the room as quickly as he had come.

"Aw man." Ness pouted, "So what'm I supposed to do?"

"Come watch us! It'll be fun!" As they left for the Training Room, Link began to grow cockier by the second. By the time they reached their destination, he was babbling like an idiot. "Wow! I'm so excited! He's only ever trained Kirby, right? So this is like, uber cool! Doncha think so Ness? Ness?"

Ness listened to his friend rant with a bored look on his face. _I wonda what's fow dinna… _He thought to himself, oblivious to his friend's constant Ness?ing. Toon Link, forgetting about Ness's answer, pulled out his sword and looked at his reflection in it. "Man, I love this sword," He said, ready to start talking about it, but as he opened the door, another sword smashed into it.

"Hey!" TL growled, glowering at Meta Knight, who backed away from the boy, "What's the big idea?"

"You never know when you're going to be attacked." Meta said in a mentor-like voice, "Therefore, always be on your guard! Your foe is unpredictable."

"It's just training!" TL said in a bored voice, "You don't have to--!"

"THAT IS NOT A PROPER STANCE!" Meta Knight snapped, and flew at him. Toon Link, not bothering to defend himself, closed his eyes and screamed for dear life.

"Toon Link." Came an amused voice.

"What?" He said, opening an eye.

Meta Knight's eyes were shining pink. He looked very entertained. "Relax. I'm not going to kill you."

Toon Link blinked. "…I know." He said, wondering why he had been screaming.

"Right then!" Meta Knight said, lifting Galaxia. Toon Link lifted his own sword. The two fought for a while, their swords making gentle changing and clanging noises. Ness watched, sitting next to Sandbag as they continued to block each other and slash at one another. Meta Knight suddenly hopped backward, away from Toon Link.

"Learn to use your surroundings to your own advantage!" The knight said, spreading his wings as far as they would go to signal to their environment, "As well as using your opponents own weight against them!"

Toon Link, nodding enthusiastically, came forward and unleashed a spinning attack. Meta Knight avoided it with a Shuttle Loop, or as I like to call it, a Shoop-da-Whoop. Ness smiled, becoming more interested by the second. "Wow!" He said in wonder, "I wish I was good with a swowd!"

"Yes, but first you must stop sucking at your own powers." The Sandbag said, trying to get Ness to fight with him, but the psychic was too absorbed in the battle to take notice of the talking bag.

As the training continued, Meta Knight stopped attacking and flew in behind Toon Link, who looked back at him curiously.

"You're doing quite well, by the way." The Star Warrior praised.

The Hylian let an arrogant smile cross his face. "Why thank-!"

Smack!

Meta Knight whacked him in the side of the head with his hand. He then proceeded to grab the stunned kid and force him down so he could deliver a barrage of kicks.

"Don't let words distract you from battle." The knight said firmly, "Otherwise, you will easily be defeated." Toon Link swiped his sword at him, making Meta Knight jump away. He got back up and stood at the ready, waiting for the masked puffball to attack again. There was a long pause. Link lowered his sword and shield.

"Are we done…?" He asked, panting slightly.

Without warning, Meta Knight raised his sword. Toon hurried to get back into his defensive stance. But his trainer didn't move towards him. Instead, he spoke. "If you become one with it, your blade will reach even distances you cannot." He said wisely, "Depending on how you use it, the steel of your blade…can become the wind!" He proceeded to spin around wildly, turning into a small tornado.

Toon Link fell backwards, trying to avoid the tornado as it sped by. Meta Knight stopped and performed two neat slashes. There was a resulting crash.

"You… you just sliced the freakin' treadmill in half!!" Toon Link gasped.

Meta Knight ignored the outburst and headed for the door. "Now come. We must go."

"Go? Go where?" The Hylian asked, never having any clue to what was going on.

"The first match is starting now."

"Well why didn't you say so earlier?! Let's go!!"

* * *

Olimar faced the transporter, his hands on his hips. He stared at it, deep in thought. "That's strange…" He murmured, half to himself. "It's never done _that_ before."

"What's strange?" Came Meta Knight's voice as he came into the Tournament Room with the kids.

"Oh, there you three are." The spaceman said, turning away from the transporter, "It's that. It's already choosing a stage even though Lucario and Link haven't entered the transporter yet!" They all looked to where the Stage-Chooser was on the wall. It was spinning rapidly, although it never picked a stage until the fighters were inside the transporter.

"Hey look! It's slowing down."

"It's going to pick a stage!"

Link watched, gritting his teeth nervously. _Please be a good stage… _He prayed silently, _C'mon…C'monnn… _It stopped on Yoshi's Island.

"Not that!! Keep goin'! Keep goin'!" Link shouted.

With an awkward click, it suddenly changed to Flatzone.

"No!! Go back, go back!" Link waved his arms frantically.

With a final click, it switched to the Electroplankton stage. Link hung his head in disappointment. "…Shall we go?" A nearby Lucario asked. Link motioned to the transporter and the psychic Pokemon stepped through. As he disappeared, blue electricity sparked off the transporter. Link's eyes widened. His shock was interrupted by a loud "Link!" "Good luck." He turned to see Toon, Ness, Ollie, and Meta standing behind him. "Go Wink!" "You got this!" Toon Link flashed him a thumbs-up. Link smiled, returning the thumbs-up, and entered the transporter.

"3…2…1…GO!"

_This place sucks! I hope this fight is over soon… _He headed towards Lucario, pulling out a bomb. The Pokemon was charging an Aura Sphere. _Let's do this!_

He tossed a bomb as Lucario shot the fully charged Aura Sphere at him. Lucario saw the bomb in time and kicked it at the Hylian, who barely managed to avoid it. Coughing, Lucario looked through the smoke to see Link jumping at him. Lucario used Double Team, managing to counter the attack from the sword. His aura glowed around his spiked paws, and he used Force Palm. Being at such close quarters, Link was hit painfully in the stomach. Groaning, he retreated to the top of the plant._ Time to bring out the Gale Boomerang! _Link thought to himself, tossing the windy weapon in his opponent's direction. The harsh wind nearly knocked the Pokemon off the stage. He landed in the water, but managed to get back out before he fell too far.

"Link's Gale Boomerang reminds me a lot of your tornado move, Meta!" Toon Link said, remembering the display the knight had shown him earlier.

"Hmm…did you notice that the announcer isn't as enthusiastic as he usually is and the interviewers look bored and very annoyed…?" Olimar pointed out.

TL nodded. "Probably cuz we won't give them any attention."

"Yup, almost lost there…now Link's gonna hit him. Dodged, yeah, yeah." The announcer said in a bored voice.

Everyone in front of the TV exchanged a glance.

Lucario started to charge another Aura Sphere, but luck was not on his side that day. A second before he was about to launch it, a smart bomb appeared in front of him. Link scrambled to get away. The Pokemon saw it too late.

A loud explosion roared across the stage as Lucario got caught in the flames. When it ended, Link saw Lucario lying in a heap of fur where it had occurred. Link waited for him to get up and start attacking, but when he didn't, he ran over, slightly worried.

"Lucario!" He shouted, approaching the limp Pokemon. Lucario rolled to his back, looking fatigued.

"Link…" He said wearily, "All my hope is gone. I can't stand it anymore."

Link locked eyes with Lucario and he saw that the other fighter was right. Lucario's eyes were dull and cloudy. He had been through enough of this tournament, and now he felt that nothing could be done—that they were all going to be goners, eventually.

"It's time." Lucario continued, "I've been preparing…Link…Finish it."

Link looked away. Lucario gave him an encouraging nod, still lying on his back. Link unsheathed his sword and sent Lucario off the stage. He watched the Pokemon disappear beneath the water. He watched until he could watch no more.

"Link wins…again." The announcer groaned.

_I never knew Lucario had lost hope like that…he always seemed so strong to me. I guess he just figured we'd all go sooner or later… _Link closed his eyes, thinking, _without the smashers, there is no hope…without hope, there is nothing._

Some smashers congratulated him when he arrived back, but he didn't respond and went to sit in an armchair.

"Yeah, well, now it's my turn!" Toon Link said a little too loudly, "Time for revenge!"

"Don't forget what I told you…" Meta Knight said, much more quietly.

"Um…that you like badminton, and uh, you're not going to kill me?"

Meta Knight slapped his forehead. Toon Link just laughed, "I'll be going now! Wish me luck, okay?" Everyone watched him follow Wario into the transporter.

Link couldn't help but smile a bit. The stage-chooser was spinning normally again. _Looks like the transporter's okay after all. _Then he saw the stage it had picked. His eyes widened. _Oh…crap!_

"And next up, we have Toon Link and Wario," The announcer yawned, "which means after this we'll be halfway through the day, thank God…"

Toon Link appeared on the stage that had been selected. He gasped. "N…N…Norfair?!"

Wario, on the other side of the stage, cackled, "Wahaha! Afraid of a little lava, kid?"

"Lava…?" He said, trembling, "N…no!"

"Then I'm assuming that sweat is from the heat?"

Toon Link opened his mouth for a comeback, but the announcer interrupted him by starting the fight. Wario shouted a challenge and hopped onto his motorcycle. TL stood there like a deer caught in headlights as Wario aimed to run him over. He leapt out of the way just in time. Wario leaped backwards off the cycle as it skidded into the lava below. Link ran forward to attack with a loud shout, but Wario opened his mouth wide, and the kid went running straight into it. Wario bit down and chewed.

"Hey! What the-?" Toon Link screeched, and Wario released him, parting with a nice little present. TL waved a hand in front of his face, moaning, "Oh, that's sick man! See that's why our game's rated T!"

Wario punched him, making him stop talking. A deep rumbling filled the stage as lava started to rise towards them.

Little Link let out a frightened squeak. "The lava's rising!"

"Looks like we'll have to fight to stay on top!" Wario said, smiling dangerously. Toon Link shook his head, afraid. "Aw, c'mon Toony! Wouldn't you like to see your precious Zelda again?" Wario taunted, "Alls ya gotta do is jump into the lava way down there!"

Link's features hardened. _How could I be so stupid? _He scolded himself, _I'm here for revenge! I have to stop losing and defeat him! Now what did Meta say?_

An image of Meta Knight popped into his head. _"I like bacon!"_ The knight said, giving him a bacon-approved thumbs-up.

_No, it wasn't that…_

Then he remembered.

_"Always be on your guard! Your foe is unpredictable." "Learn to use your surroundings to your own advantage…as well as using your opponents own weight against them!"_

"That's it!" Toon Link cried out happily.

"Hey Toony!" Wario bellowed, lunging forward. This time, the Hylian was ready and used his speed to dodge. Wario fell on his face, and the hot lava singed him as it rose. He managed to get out and climb to a safe platform. "You think you can win?" He growled, "Just cuz you're light on your feet? You ain't nothin' special! You'll be seeing Zelda and Ganondorf soon. I'll even make sure Link gets sent down!"

But Toon Link wasn't listening to Wario's words. Instead, he was listening to the little Meta Knight in his head tell him, _"Don't let words distract you from battle. Otherwise, you will easily be defeated!"_

"Then it'll be a nice matched set!" Wario laughed, still making his speech. He didn't take any notice of Toon Link, who ran across the stage, leaped over the lava, and came flying down at him from above. Only when TL was inches from his head did he look up in surprise. "Umm…" He said nervously, but Link showed no mercy.

With a slash of his sword, he sent Wario flying off the stage, with a loud yell that sounded like, "Dang it!"

Toon Link glared down at the spot where the fat man had disappeared. _I hope you're happy, Wario. _He thought, triumphant at his revenge, _you let your own words distract you from battle—and I won._

After he made his amazing speech inside his head, he looked around, smiling slightly. The smile was replaced by a look of confusion. "I did win, didn't I?" He said aloud, "He went down, right?" The poor toon was starting to feel more and more nervous with each second that passed by. "Is something wrong? Why haven't I gone back?"

A plume of lava suddenly burst forth. He fell backwards as the scorching hot magma narrowly missed him. The lava disappeared back into the lake of magma beneath him. He tripped backwards, trying to avoid another stream of lava and landed roughly on his hands. Toon Link felt his eyes become wet.

"No way…" He said in a choking voice, "The…the transporter i-isn't…working!"


	16. Loyalty and Betrayal

**Yay! I got to put up another! Only thing is…it's another cliffhanger. Of course, in all the other cliffhangers the characters turn out to be okay anyways so…lol…just read it! And please leave a review. Please? With sugar and caffeine on top?**

**And oh noes! The poll is all tied up again…and I'm sorry to say that one of our top rankers in the poll will be leaving us this chapter…**

Everyone in the Tournament Room saw Wario plummet over the edge. Instinctively, they all watched the transporter, waiting for Toon Link to appear. Instead, the transporter started crackling with blue electricity. Everyone stared at it. Then Link voiced the question that was in everyone's head.

"Hey, what's wrong with the trans--!"

There was a loud booming noise and the transporter began to smoke.

"Oh my God!" Link gasped.

"Toon Wink's stiww out thewe!" Ness cried out.

Link rushed over to the side of the transporter, followed by the rest of the smashers. He lifted a panel on the transporter to peer inside. "Oh crap, this is not good! It must be broken inside…we have to fix…it…" He trailed off when his eyes met with the tangle of complicated wires, switches, and gadgets. Being from Zelda, which was definitely no technology-filled game like Metroid, he had no idea what to do.

"I'll handle it." Meta Knight and Olimar said at the same time. As soon as they said those words, both turned to glare at each other.

"I built my ship, The Halberd, all by myself." Meta Knight growled, "I'm sure I can deal with a broken transporter."

"Don't underestimate me!" The little spaceman snapped, "When I was stranded on Pikmin Planet, I assembled my ship without help!"

"Hey, you guys can both do it…" Link started to say, but they weren't paying attention to him. He listened to them argue amongst themselves.

"I see the problem. It's these wires…"

"No it's not. It's obviously this…"

"What's wrong with you guys?!" Link yelled, breaking up the fight, "Toon Link could be in danger! Get to work!" Both of them sweatdropped.

"Can I hewp?" Ness asked, waving a hand in the air.

"No!" Link said, a little too quickly.

Ness frowned and walked over to the TV, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was going on back in Norfair. Instead, the screen showed an ugly, fat guy in an angel outfit, advertising paper towels. Ness knocked on the screen with his fist, saying randomly, "Hey! Dis isn't what I owdered in the wetail office!"

Link stood by nervously, sweating bullets. _Oh man… _He thought, _what if Toon Link gets taken? If only I could see what was happening…_

* * *

"…Oh, this is most unfortunate." A shadowy figure sitting in front of a control panel watched as Toon Link struggled to stay away from the lava. They moved forward and pressed a large button, which made a small beep as it was pressed. The shadow let out a low laugh that echoed through the darkness.

"I do believe I can use this to my advantage…"

* * *

A deep rumbling filled Norfair, causing Toon Link to looked around. The lava behind him was starting to churn. He watched as it climbed into a large wave and started towards him. He screamed and ran.

"Lava wave! There's gotta be a safe house!" He shrieked, searching frantically, but upon seeing the empty stage, his heart lost all hope. "Wait…there's no…safe house…" He whispered hoarsely. With a loud roaring sound, the wave of magma grew closer as it climbed higher and higher. Little Link felt a tear slide down his face.

"I don't want to…d-die." He cried, and stood there, awaiting his fate. The wave started to bend downwards, and eventually, it was about to collapse on him. He felt the searing heat on his face and tried to force his eyes shut, but they wouldn't close. He watched in horror as the wave folded over him…then a bright light flooded his vision.

At first, the poor boy thought he was dead. But then he heard Link's voice.

"He's back! I can't believe you guys were able to fix the transporter!"

Toon Link blinked, his vision blurred because of the many tears in his eyes. He tried to see what was going on, as the smashers celebrated that he was okay.

"Toon Link!!" Link exclaimed happily.

"Good to see you're okay!" Olimar said, smiling.

"Hey Toon Wink!" Ness said flat out, "Why you cwyin'?"

There was a long pause. "He's crying?!" Everyone burst out. The poor little Hylian felt his face go hot with embarrassment. He crossed his arms and glared, tears still at the corners of his eyes.

"What the-? No I'm not!" He hissed, wiping his eyes hastily, "The heat just made my eyes water! I have a sensitive retina…" Link snickered at his lame excuse. "Hey! It's true!" TL snapped, his face tomato red.

Ness tipped his head to one side, looking confused. "Wetina? Is dat a band?" He asked, having no idea that it was actually a part of the human eye.

Meta Knight walked to where everyone was standing around Toon Link. He looked at Olimar, feeling a little guilty that they had snapped at each other like that. "It feels strange that there's only four fights today…" He said, trying to start a conversation. Olimar smiled, knowing that his this was his friend's way of forgiving him.

"Meta Knight, stop talking and get over here!" Came a grumpy voice, "We need to clear things up before our battle!" Meta Knight sighed and wrapped his cape around himself, as if for comfort. Then he started across the room towards DeDeDe.

"Hey, Meta!" TL called, running after him. He looked a lot better.

Meta Knight looked back. "I'm kind of busy, Toon Link." He said quietly.

"But I wanted to thank you!" The boy said, stepping up to him, "I couldn't have won without you!"

"Toon Link…there's something you should know." Meta Knight murmured, disregarding the praise the swordsman had given him.

"What? What is it?" The boy asked curiously.

Meta Knight hesitated. "…Never mind. You'll find out soon enough."

Toon Link didn't seem worried by this. He turned and skipped away, shouting, "Okay! See ya later!" The young boy was always so oblivious…

Meta blinked slowly at the retreating Link. _Toon Link…haven't you figured it out yet…? _He wondered silently, _You're against Link!_

As Meta Knight left to stay near his king, the announcer held up a sheet up paper with a bored look. "Up next we have Ness, the psychic boy and Olimar, the…what is he? A…er…Hocochocolatian? Hoco…hot chocolate? Hack…Houko…tation? Hacky…hmm…Hoto…"

Olimar listened with disgust as the idiotic announcer tried to get it right. _It's Hocotate…_ He screamed inwardly, _I'm from Planet Hocotate!_

Ness and Olimar entered the transporter, and the stage-chooser decided on Luigi's Mansion. Toon Link shook his head, frowning. "Okay, now I _know_ Ness is going to lose."

His older self narrowed his eyes. "What makes you so sure?" It seemed like every battle Ness entered, everyone thought he was going to lose. Instead, he always seemed to come out on top.

"It's obvious." Toon Link said slowly, as if he were talking to a toddler, "His attacks don't work at Luigi's Mansion! The building won't let them pass through!"

"Ready…go!" The TV boomed.

The music from Luigi's Mansion started and boos appeared, munching on popcorn.

"P.K. Thunda!" Ness shouted, but the thunder disappeared as it hit a platform. "P.K. Fiah!" He tried, but it met the same fate. Olimar, using this to his advantage, dodged around him and started throwing his Pikmin every which way. Ness felt the purple one bowl him over as it smacked into his head. He reached behind him to pull his bat out, but Ollie saw it coming and whistled his Pikmin back to him. Ness swung his bat and missed. Olimar grabbed Snapdragon and heaved it at him. Ness used it bat to hit the Yellow Pikmin straight back to its master. The Pikmin latched onto its target and started to hit it with his leaf.

"Yah! Yah! Yah!" Snapdragon cried out as he attacked.

"Snapdragon…Snapdragon…Snapdragon!!" Snapdragon looked down, surprised to see that he had been attacking Olimar. His captain frowned at him as he jumped off. Ness went to use P.K. Flash, but it dissolved, just as the others had.

Then the Pikmin attacked in a frenzy. Peppermint attacked the top of his head with fire; Snapdragon attacked his face with electricity; Bluebell attacked his back with water; Lilac attacked his body with pure strength; Teaberry attacked his legs with poison.

Ness barely managed a P.K. Thunder to send them all flying. They crowded around Olimar, waiting for the next move he would make. An assist trophy appeared in between the two fighters. Olimar reached for it, but Ness was there first. He held it above his head triumphantly. A certain dark hedgehog appeared from the light of the assist trophy. "Chaos Control!" Shadow yelled, enveloping the stage in his awesome power.

Olimar retreated to the other side of the stage, moving dreadfully slow. He waited for Ness's attack nervously, wondering, _I can barely move! Where's Ness? Why isn't he finishing me? _

Ness, while grabbing the assist trophy, had gone near the edge. He stood there, looking down into the darkness. For a moment, he imagined two red eyes peering back at him.

_Why don't you come find us? _Evil Sammy's voice rang throughout his head. _We'll be seeing you soon Ness. Real soon._

Ness closed his eyes to hold back any tears that threatened to come. The darkness looked so inviting…without giving his rash decision a second thought, he took a step forward and jumped off the edge.

"What are you doing?!" Came a voice. He felt a hand grab his arm before he had fallen too far. He looked up to see Olimar, his opponent. The spaceman looked worried. He pulled Ness back up, saying, "Ness! Are you okay?"

Ness wasn't listening. There was a new voice in his head.

_Ness. _Meta Knight said, _Sammy wouldn't want you to be taken…he would want you to keep going._

_You're gonna do great, Ness!_ Came Sammy's cheerful voice, _Seriously, you're the best._

It was then that Ness knew he had to win this fight. He had to keep going, for them, his friends. He felt upset over the thought of having to send Olimar and his Pikmin to their fates, but he knew what had to be done.

"P.K. Fire!" He shouted unexpectedly, engulfing Olimar in a pillar of flame. Olimar let out a shout of surprise. Ness stepped forward, ignoring the guilt that tugged at his insides, and brought his bat smashing into Olimar. The spaceman fell over the edge.

Grabbing onto Lilac, he sent a Pikmin chain upwards. Snapdragon, on the end, grabbed the edge. Olimar struggled to hold on.

"Err…" He grunted, "Hang in there, Pikmin!"

He heard a whimper coming from far up the line. Teaberry, who had been hurt earlier that day, was losing his hold on Snapdragon's legs.

"Hold on, Teaberry!" Olimar called desperately, but he was too late. Teaberry gave a final wail of defeat and let go. "Teaberry!" He screamed, "No!" The Pikmin cried out in terror as they fell down after their master into the blackness.

Ness shook his head sadly as the announcer declared, "Olimar loses! Ness will be in the semi-finals!"

Ness gaped as he heard a small moan come from his left. He ran over quickly and saw Snapdragon clinging desperately to the edge. "Snapdwagon!" He gasped, grabbing onto the Pikmin just in time, before he was teleported back. Everyone looked surprised as Ness fell out of the transporter with Snapdragon. Link blinked in astonishment. "Hey, you were able to save a Pikmin!"

"Yay!" TL rejoiced, "That's not just any Pikmin, that's Snapdragon!"

"I guess it's my turn…" Meta Knight muttered softly. King DeDeDe was standing behind him. The king narrowed his eyes, looking about as dangerous as a fat blue penguin could get.

"Remember what we talked about, okay?"

"Yes…"

He walked towards the transporter, but DeDeDe knocked him aside to get in first. Meta Knight hesitated, waiting until the king was gone, and prepared to follow.

"Meta Knight!" Came Link's voice. "You're not going to let him win, are you?"

"Of course not." Meta Knight said, but he didn't sound so sure of himself.

"Good." Link said, but doubted that the knight meant what he was saying. As the last pair for the day disappeared, the stage-chooser decided on Eldin Bridge.

"Ready…" DeDeDe came in, his Waddle Dee servants carrying him.

"Go!" Meta Knight spun in, appearing from the depths of his cape.

DeDeDe charged forward and swung his hammer at his servant. Meta Knight easily dodged, and swiped his sword at DeDeDe, missing.

"Meta Knight!" DeDeDe scoffed, "That was way too close! Sure we need to make it look convincing but that…" He trailed off, suddenly looking very angry. "Meta Knight! You're not trying to knock me out are you?!" Meta Knight didn't answer. "If you are, I'll take you down the hard way! Go!" He began to toss a fleet of Waddle Dees at him.

The red puffballs charged at him, crowding the blue puffball until you could barely see him. He sucked them in with a mach tornado. As the tornado ended, they went flying.

While Meta Knight had been distracted, King DeDeDe had crept up, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When it came, he brought his hammer crashing down. Meta Knight took heavy damage.

He lay there for a moment, giving DeDeDe time to charge his hammer. Just in time, he moved before the penguin could knock him out.

As they continued brawling, they barely noticed the stomping of hooves. They turned to see King Bulbin ride by on Lord Bullbo, leaving an explosive as he went. Meta Knight dove to the left to get away from it, while DeDeDe scampered to the right. The bomb exploded, taking the center of the bridge with it.

Meta Knight stood on the left side, glaring at DeDeDe who stood on the right. To heighten the drama, a smash ball appeared directly in between him. Both watched it float around for a moment, waiting for the other to make their move.

DeDeDe pointed a finger at Meta Knight. "This is your last chance to prove your loyalty, Meta Knight!" The king shouted, "Let me take the smash ball…and it'll all be over!"

Meta Knight trembled with rage. His eyes flickered red, but he turned away, calming himself. He did not want DeDeDe to see how he felt. He turned to look his king in the face calmly.

"The smash ball is waiting…Your Majesty."

King DeDeDe smiled, and leapt at it. He brought his hammer crashing into it. Cracks appeared on the colorful ball and it floated higher, leading the penguin to jump after it. He hit it again, listening to the satisfying crunch it made.

"Just a little more--!" He started to say, but a large purple foot landed on his face. Meta Knight jumped off of DeDeDe, striking the smash ball with his wing. His eyes flooded with color, as well as the area around his small body.

"This is for what you did to Sammy and to me!!" He growled, grabbing his cape. As he grabbed it, it grew three times bigger. He swished it through the air, enveloping DeDeDe as well as himself. Meta Knight could almost taste the revenge on his tongue.

"Know my power!"

He tore a deadly slash through DeDeDe, but as we all know, Meta Knight's final smash isn't the best, nor is DeDeDe the most lightweight character.

So DeDeDe went tumbling sky-high, then down towards the bottom between the broken halves of the bridge, but caught himself in time before he was out. He puffed himself up twice his normal size and began to float back up to the top.

Meta Knight wasn't ready to let that happen.

He dive-bombed him from the air, smacking into the penguin's shocked face. They tumbled down, Meta Knight holding onto DeDeDe, pushing him back down into the darkness. Both fell far, so far until they were off screen. No one could see them as they fell offstage, into the blackness beneath.

The audience as well as the smashers held theirs breaths and waited for either Meta Knight or King DeDeDe to come back up, but both were lost in the impenetrable darkness.

They didn't reappear.

* * *

**Aww, everyone has a little Mety inside their head! Even you. creepy stare Since this might be the last one for a while (I keep saying that, don't I?) I've decided to give you a special preview! Let's see…this is of Chapter 18! **

**PREVIEW TIME!**

**Meta Knight has a nightmare!**

_A loud shriek filled the air and a dark red wolf came bounding out of the flames. It leapt at him, snarling ferociously. Meta Knight tried to shield himself but it was too late. The last thing he saw was a flash of pure white fangs._

**Toon Link has angst! **

"_I don't want to fight anymore!" He cried out, "I can't! I'm done! This is so stupid. I can't take it anymore!" He turned and threw himself onto his pillow, burying his face in it. "Oh Farore…what am I supposed to do…?" He whimpered._

**And Ness has…super-glued his hat to his head?**

_Snapdragon leaned over the side and tugged at his hat. When it didn't come off, he pulled harder. Ness smirked. "Sowwy buddy. You'ww need some pwiers and a jackhamma to get dis baby off." _


	17. Yet Another Sleepover

**Okay, obviously I wouldn't get rid of Meta Knight like that…but this story is rated suspense, so I just ended the chapter there. And for anyone who takes offense to the Sailor Moon part, it was just a request by a friend, and it's meant to be funny so…**

**Oh! It looks like we have a new lead in our poll! Meta Knight is currently first! Yayyy! And Toon Link is still last. Sucks for him. **

**Leave a review on your way out!  
**

Meta Knight pushed off DeDeDe, flapping his wings frantically to climb back up as far as he could. The penguin disappeared below, but Meta Knight continued to soar upwards until he couldn't anymore, and plunged in after his king.

"Meta Knight!" Link shouted at the TV, even though he knew the fallen warrior couldn't hear him.

"What the heck is his problem?!" TL demanded in a shrill voice.

"Who won? Who won?" Ness asked crazily.

The TV answered Ness's question. "It seems that our winner is…" Everyone held their breath. "Meta Knight!"

Ness and Toon Link jumped for joy. A big smile broke out on Link's face as he saw his fellow swordsman appear before him. As it turned out, Meta Knight had been able to fly up a little bit after DeDeDe had gone down, and the transporter had whisked him away from the field of battle just in time. It had been enough. Everyone stopped to listen to the announcer in silence as he made a long speech.

"Yes, critics are calling this the strangest tournament yet. Many complaints have come in about the lack of interviews…more people have been pointing out that it seems the smashers have been talking more than fighting while on the field of battle! And yet, this tournament has been going without a hitch…"

"Without a hitch…" Link said sarcastically, crossing his arms, "Right."

"And it seems we have our four famous semi-finalists! And here they are!! Link, Toon Link, Ness, and Meta Knight!"

A picture of the said four appeared on the screen. They were all in their usual poses from their trophy stances. Everyone in the studio audience cheered. Sick of the stupid reporters, Link picked up the remote and switched it off. He turned to the remaining three and parted with a soft, "Well…see you guys at dinner."

* * *

Meta Knight exited the kitchen, looking around for the other smashers. He spotted the lazy green-clad youth laying on a couch in the deserted lounge. It was strange seeing only one smasher in there. The room seemed too big for just one person, as it had been designed for many.

He approached Toon Link, saying, "Toon Link, dinner's on the…" He trailed off, noticing that the boy was paying no attention to his words. Instead, his eyes were glued to the laptop screen on his lap. Meta, feeling annoyed, crept up behind him. When he was close enough, he growled in his ear, "What are you doing?"

TL jumped. "Err…I found a really dumb vid of a SSBB Sailor Moon Crossover, but it was really disgusting so I stopped watching it."

He waited for the knight to criticize him, but instead, Meta just looked intrigued. "…Oh really?" Was about all he said. He stood there, staring at the toon. Not quite knowing what to do, TL dragged the mouse to a tab on Youtube. He brought up the video.

"Wanna see? It'll make you barf." He pressed play.

The annoying Sailor Moon Theme Song started, only it sounded more demented than usual. "Fighting evil by moonlight! Winning love by daylight!" It sang, "He's the smasher that will help fight! He is the one named Sailor Toon!" A picture popped up of Toon Link saluting the screen, wearing a tiara and frilly gloves.

Poor Sailor Toon began a long rant as the song continued. "Man, look at that editing job! It looks so real it's…it's…it's SICK!"

"He is the one named sailor…Sailor VeNess! Sailor Marthcury! Sailor Marsio! Sailor JuPiter!" Pictures popped up of Ness, Marth, Mario, and Pit. All wore the same outfit that poor Toon Link had been wearing.

"How horrible." Meta Knight said, stifling a small chuckle, "I'm glad I'm not in this."

Link sweatdropped. "Yeahhh…about that." He dragged the mouse to a later part in the video. A picture of White Meta Knight showed up. In Galaxia's place, he held a red rose.

"OMG! It's the Moonlight Knight!" Toon Link squealed in a gay sounding voice.

The White Knight brandished the rose, shouting dramatically, "Flower power is pure and never should be used for evil!"

Toon Link paused, waiting for Meta's reaction. The puffball's eyes were blank. The toon hoped he hadn't scarred his friend for life. "Excuse me while I go gauge my eyeballs out." Meta Knight said, with no emotion whatsoever. He turned to leave the room.

TL forced a laugh, "Ahaha, you're so funny…"

Minutes later, he heard the clink of silverware coming from the kitchen.

"Were you serious?!"

* * *

"Ness…? There you are!" Link said, entering the boy's bedroom. He had practically searched all over the mansion for the psychic, but had never expected him to be in his room of all places. Ness sat at a desk, eyes narrowed in concentration. He was scribbling furiously over a sheet of paper. "Whatcha doin'?" Link asked, approaching the desk.

Ness stopped his frantic writing to say, "Witing a compwaint to Nintendo of Amewica about bwingin' ma game ta Viwtual Console. Mebbe if I compwain, they'ww put it on."

"I don't think they'll take you seriously with all those spelling errors." The Hero of Time pointed out.

"I didn't ask fow an editow." Ness scowled, finishing up his letter.

Link's eyes narrowed as he scanned the rest of the page. "P.S. You owe me ten billion tasty tweats." He read aloud.

"Weww yeah! Dat's what they get fow dewayin' it so wong!" Ness burst out.

Link turned away, heading for the door. "Well, anyways, you should get downstairs. Since there's only 4 of us, we should at least be on the same floor, y'know?"

Ness folded up the letter and tucked it in an envelope. He scrawled some random (most likely made-up) address on there, and then got up to follow Link. "Yeah, but we'ww awone at night anyways, so…" He paused. Suddenly, realization struck him like his own bat. He gasped, causing Link to look back at him.

Ness stood there, eyes wide, mouth open, drool coming out of the right corner. He dropped the letter he was holding and it fluttered to the floor. "Whoa!" He breathed, "I just got a gweat idea!"

Link felt excitement flood his body. Finally! Ness had thought up the perfect plan to bring the smashers back, and he was ready to share his hidden brilliance with the world. Ness looked at Link, eyes shining. Link couldn't bear the suspense. "What is it? What is it?" He prodded anxiously, trying to hold back the large smile spreading across his face.

Ness grinned, "A sweepova."

The only thing Link could hear was Ness's insane laughter, and his own head hitting the table. Again and again and again.

* * *

AND SO!

After Link smacked his head repeatedly into Ness's desk, they actually went through with the sleepover thing…again!

"Hmm…have ya got any thwees?" Ness asked, holding the green apple cards up to his face. Everyone stared at him.

TL rolled his eyes. "We're playing Apples to Apples, Ness. Not…whatever the heck you're playing." "It's your turn to be the judge!" Meta Knight added.

In case anyone doesn't know what Apples to Apples is, it's a fun card game where people take turns being the judge. They pick a card, which has an adjective on it, and set it out. Then the rest of the people throw in a noun…it can be anything ranging from "Jack the Ripper" to "AIDS" to "Fuzz." Then the judge decides which card describes the adjective the best, and that person gets the point.

At the moment, the four smashers plus the one pikmin were playing it reversed. Ness picked out a noun card. It read "Create Your Own Card." He set it in the middle. "Hey, I got a Cweate Youw Own Cawd!" He said happily, "Okay…the subject is ME!! Ness!!"

Everyone looked at their cards for a moment, then put them face down over the red noun card. Ness shuffled them around, and picked them up. "Wet's see," Ness said, full of enthusiasm, "We have tasty, sexy, colowful, and ins…Hey! Who da heck said I was insane?!"

Everyone looked at Meta Knight.

Ness shook his head, tossing the card down with disgust. "Hmm…colowful is wetawded so it's obviously Snapdwagon's. Sexy's good, but who in hewe thinks I'm sexy?!"

Toon Link sweatdropped. "Hey, it's all I had okay?!" He glanced down at his other cards, all of them being something insulting. If he had put any of _those_ out, Ness probably would have gone from psychic to extreme psychopath.

"Yeah. Definitewy dis one." Ness said, holding up Tasty. Link took the point, chuckling, "I know you all too well, Ness."

"Can we play something else?" TL asked, holding up his only point. "I'm kinda…losing…" Snapdragon let out a satisfied squeak, pointing to his point pile. He only had two, but it was enough to make the toon feel irritated.

"I know! Twuth ow dawe!" Ness exclaimed.

"Hey yeah!" Toon Link agreed.

They looked at the two adults evilly, wondering what they could make them do. The other three looked on in confusion, wondering what truth or dare was.

"Link, you're first!" Toon Link demanded.

"But I don't know how--!" He began to protest, but Toon Link stopped him.

"It's easy! Ask me which: Truth or Dare?"

Link paused uncertainly. "Truth or Dare?" He asked, looking around nervously as if Toon Link had stationed assassins behind every lamp.

"Truth! Now ask me a question."

Link sat there, deep in thought, pondering what sort of question he was supposed to ask him. After a minute, he came up with it. "Croutons or bacon bits?" He asked.

The two kids stared at him. "Huh?"

"Which do you prefer?" Link questioned, missing the whole point of "truth." "Croutons or bacons bits?"

"Uhh, umm, bacon bits?" Toon Link said, sweatdropping.

Link nodded in approval. "Good choice."

"Toon Wink, show'em how it's done!" Ness shouted, punching a fist into the air, "Gimme a dawe!"

"Okay!" Toon Link yelled dramatically, "I dare you to take off your hat!"

Ness stared, open-mouthed. "…Huh?"

"C'mon, I've never seen you with it off."

Ness shook his head slowly, his eyes dark and serious. "I'm afwaid I can't do that…"

Both Links looked surprised. "Why not?"

"If I take ma hat off, the wowld will explode."

Nobody spoke for a moment. Then Toon Link rolled his eyes. "Tch, yeah right." He snorted. Ness narrowed his eyes, and reached up to start slipping his hat off. "Wanna twy-?" "No!" Toon squealed, forcing his hat back onto his head. Not that it mattered. Secretly, Ness had super glued his hat to his head and the odds of getting it off were almost impossible.

Ness beamed triumphantly, then stepped towards the next victim, who was lying on the floor in a bored sort of way. "Wet's see who's next in wine…" He said, smirking evilly, "Meta Knight! I dawe you to take youw mask off!"

I bet we all saw that one coming.

Meta Knight didn't respond right away. Finally, he said, "And what happens if I don't? Do I lose?"

"What?" Ness said, looking shocked by the question, "Um…no."

"Is there a penalty?" Meta Knight continued, "Do I have to give up something for it?"

Ness looked taken aback. "No, ya just hafta DO it!"

"…No." Meta Knight declared, rolling to his side.

"You suck!" Toon Link scoffed.

"Dis game is getting nowhewe. Wet's stop." Ness told his friend.

"But there's nothing else to do!" TL whined.

Link listened in quietly. "I supposed we could just…talk." He said suddenly.

Both kids looked at him like he was some alien from Planet Mr. Saturn. "Talk?" They said. Link sweatdropped. _Kids…_

He took a deep breath. "I mean, think about it. Just because we're in this tournament together doesn't mean we're similar. In fact, we're complete strangers. We don't know a thing about each other! Maybe we should just talk and learn a thing or two about one another. Let's start by talking about our games."

Ness looked thrilled. "Ooh! Me fiwst! Me fiwst!" Everyone gathered round, listening to Ness describe his amazing game. "Kay, so I was eatin' steak when I met Buzz Buzz and he says I gotta save da wowld wiff a hot giwl, a newd, and a guy named Poo cuz an evil dude named Giygas is takin' ova! So we go on an adventa cuz ouw pawents don't cawe, get high on coffee with da Mista Satuwns, and P.K. Wockin'! Then I fight Giygas and Pokey, ma X-best fwend and when I win, Pokey's aww "I wiww get ma wevenge! Spankety Spankety Spankety!" Then he weft to go pick on Sammy, The End." He finished in one breath.

Everyone died, whether it was do to the many spelling errors or the weird way Ness had described it. Then they came back to life, ready to tell about their games.

"That was…interesting…" Meta Knight said slowly.

Link looked at the Star Warrior. "Meta Knight? Would you like to talk about your game?" Meta Knight glared at him.

"What game?" He snapped. Link backed away, as if afraid the knight was going to attack him. Luckily for Meta Knight, an awesome game will be coming out within the next month called Meta Knightmare Ultra and it will be…sorry, just read the story. "I think he meant your role in the Kirby series." TL told MK calmly.

"Oh…well, usually I train Kirby, but in a mini-game, I was the main villain and Kirby ended up destroying my ship." Looks like Meta Knight isn't as outspoken as Ness, considering he fit his whole life story into one sentence.

"You don't strike me as a villain…" Link said.

"He's way too relaxed." Smaller Link muttered.

"I prefer to be called a rival." Meta Knight said quietly.

"Your ship doesn't have much luck, does it?" Toon Link asked, changing the subject. Meta Knight shook his head, murmuring a soft, "No…"

"So what's your life story Snapdragon?" They asked. The Pikmin let loose a string of squeaks, mewls, and meeps. "Uh…in our language, please." Snapdragon blinked a couple times. Then he said, with some difficulty, "Fight. Carry. Multiply." His features saddened and he shrugged, "Be eaten."

"Aww!" The two Links cried out in pity. Then Toon Link began his tale, "Yeah, well my game is cool! At first my sister was kidnapped so I went to save her, but then I found out I had a much bigger journey ahead and I had to save the Great Sea! Of course, I had to ride around in a Creepy Old Boat Man, but I did it in the end!"

"Kinda like mine!" Link said happily, "In mine I was a farmhand and my life changed when I stumbled upon a cursed Twilight Realm. I was imprisoned after turning into a wolf, but was luckily freed by an imp named Midna. Then we pretty much…saved Hyrule from Zant and Ganon, the two bad guys."

TL snorted, "Haha! That was _so _interesting, your game sounds almost as good as Ness's!"

Link pointed an accusing finger at him. "What have you got against my game, just cuz it's better than yours?!"

Toon Link looked surprised, but couldn't find the right words to fight back. Ness frowned, unhappy with their degrading of his game. "Hey Wink, do you have a giwlfwend?" He said randomly.

Link looked caught off guard. "Uhh…no."

"What about you, Toon Wink?"

"Well I guess…not…" The toon said uncertainly.

"And you?" He asked, looking at Meta Knight.

"All my friends are dead!!" Silence. "Err…so uh…no."

Ness snickered, feeling he had made his point in the battle of the video games. "Funny how I'm the onwy one hewe with a giwlfwend."

Toon Link's eyes glinted dangerously. "So what, you're saying you're better than us?"

Ness shrugged, scrunching up his face with a, "Maybe"

"Shut up!" The toon snarled, "Of course I have a girlfriend!"

"Uh-huh. Suwe ya do." Ness said sarcastically.

"Yeah! Sure, we're not going out but…"

Ness gaped. "You'we callin' hew youw girlfwend and youw not goin' out?"

"Well, she's nice, but I just can't seem to get past that nose of hers!" TL responded, thinking of Medli, the half girl, half bird.

Link snickered, as Ness smirked triumphantly. "What's so funny?!" Little Link demanded, but the two just laughed. Link looked down at Ness. He was glad that they had decided to have yet another get-together. He found that he was actually…enjoying himself.

Link smiled, thanking the goddesses that he had made it this far.

**Man, long chapter! I just had to end it here because it was getting so long. This isn't the end of the sleepover yet. I just needed somewhere to stop. And look! Even Ness wants his game on virtual console! SEE!? If Ness wants his game on VC, they can't ignore that right? Curse you Reggie! Well, see you next chapter.**

**R&R!**


	18. Nightmare

**In case you're wondering, the red wolf in this chapter is Chilidog/Wolfwrath from the Kirby anime. And while on the topic of Subspace, I was fighting with Ness when my sister and I defeated him. :D And YAY I'm getting a Meta Knight plushie! Happy Belated Birthday to me. :3**

**Well this ends the 3****rd**** comic! So that means we're three quarters of the way through the series! And that also means that the end of this chapter has a huge cliffhanger. O.O As Ike would say…prepare yourself!**

"Never mind that," Link said, smiling, "Let's talk about something else. What was your role in Subspace Emissary?"

Ness let out an angry roar.

"I see." Link said, sweatdropping, "And what about you, Snapdragon?"

Snapdragon made a face that clearly said, "You mean the part where most of the Pikmin died or the part where the rest of the Pikmin died?"

Toon Link listened to this in silence. "Um…I have a question…" He said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. "What's the Subspace Emissary?"

Nobody said anything for a long while. Then they all turned away from him, Link saying, "So anyways…" "I feel so left out…" Little Link sighed.

"I wasn't very happy with my role in Subspace." Link ranted, "I'm like, what, the 2nd most famous Nintendo character? My role was way too small! Pit had a bigger role than me and he only had one game! And I had to travel with Yoshi. Yoshi! That speaks for itself…" Scowling, he crossed his arms.

"You think YOU had a small role?" Ness and TL shouted at the same time. "You think small role?" Snapdragon echoed.

"Shut up, no one cawes about you!" Ness said, turning on Toon Link. "No one cares!" Snapdragon echoed yet again. Then Ness proceeded to tell his part of the story, "My wole stawted off aww cool. I defeated the invincible Pig King Statue, beat Porky again, and dodged aww of Wawio's attacks. Then I wisked it aww to save Sammy. How does he thank me…? He wuns off! Scwew Ness, I'm goin' with da Pokemon Twaina! Then I became weal again and came to save you aww, even though I got absowutewy NO thank-yous. Then we fought the final battle and weww…afta that I found Sammy with Wed, but wuckiwy I was able to wemind him of ma coowness and so he ditched Pokemon Twaina Wed fow me! That's it."

Everyone grew headaches as Ness talked their ear off yet again. "How'd you get back to normal?" Toon asked.

"Uh…DeDeDe saved me." Both made faces at the irony.

"I had a very big role in it. I came into contact with almost every character. I even saved Sammy and Red from certain death." Meta Knight said, once again only speaking in a few short sentences.

"What?!" Ness shrieked. "Why'd you hafta go and save Wed?!"

Meta Knight shrugged. "I don't know. I just saw them falling and grabbed both."

"Weww, Sammy hates him too so he wouldn't have minded it you had wet him faww!" Ness said reasonably.

"…Sammy was hugging him while they fell…" Meta said blankly.

Ness didn't say anything for a few moments. Then he took a seat on the carpet, forcing a smile and saying, "I'ww just be fuhgettin' you said that!"

Everyone sat there for a while, unsure of what to do next. Finally, Link broke the silence. "Hey, I just noticed how dark it was." He said randomly, trying to make a conversation.

"Hey, I just realized how tired I am." T. Link replied, yawning. A small humming noise filled the room and grew louder. "Who's humming?" Everyone looked at Snapdragon as he began to sing softly in his squeaky Pikmin voice. Everyone recognized as being the Japanese Pikmin song Ai No Uta.

"Iron na inochi ga ikiteiru kono hoshi de. Kyou mo hakobu tatakau, fueru, soshite taberareru." He sang sweetly. Looks like someone just beat Ness for the award of 'Most Spelling Errors!' Everyone watched, wondering what he was saying, except Meta Knight.

"How sad…" The warrior murmured.

"Meta, you understand him?" TL asked, amazed as Snapdragon continued his quiet song.

"Of course." Meta Knight responded. "I spoke Japanese in that silly anime, didn't I?"

"Well what's he saying?" Toon asked, eyes lit up with curiosity.

"A traditional Pikmin song." Meta Knight explained, "The lyrics are quite sad. It talks about their lives, how they will fight, carry, multiply, and then be eaten. They also say they will follow you forever, but won't ask you to love them."

Everyone listened in silence as Snapdragon finished the song. Toon Link blinked sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Man, is this some kind of lullaby? It's making me sleepy…" A deep snoring filled the room.

"Apparently." Meta Knight said, pointing at Ness, laying on the floor out cold. He was completely gone. "Pass da steak sauce…" He grumbled in his sleep. Toon Link's mouth hung open in shock. "Hey he was awake a second ago!"

Meta Knight stepped forward. "Ness, wake up." He said, "Ness…Ness…NESS!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Ness jumped a foot into the air, screaming, "Gah! I'm innocent, I sweaw! P-Pwease don't shoot!!" Everyone wondered what had converted his dream about his steak dinner into a police chase.

"It's time for bed." Meta said calmly, and then headed towards the stairs. "Let's go."

"Go? Go whewe?" Ness asked.

"Upstairs. Where else?"

"What?!" Toon Link gasped, "It's a sleepover! We're supposed to sleep in sleeping bags while in the same room."

"Must I remind you that whatever is taking us has access to the mansion?" Meta Knight pointed out, "We are in danger of sleeping out in the open together!"

"Well, we'd be safer in numbers!" Toon Link argued.

"We can lock our rooms. That way they won't get us!" Meta Knight shot back.

"I say we put this to a vote…" Toon Link said, waiting for someone to help him out. Instead, Link interrupted, "Toon Link, he's right."

"But…it's a sleepover." Toon protested.

"We'll be safe in our rooms." Link told him, "And look at Ness—look how tired he is…" He was right. Ness was up in a sitting position, but his eyes were closed and he was snoring again. "I think it's time we wrapped this up.

Meta Knight nodded. "Exactly. Well good night." Then he turned to leave. At the bottom of the steps, he stopped to turn around. "…I'll see you in the morning."

How wrong he was.

* * *

Link made sure to lock his door that night, just like the other swordsman had said. After doing so, he let out a long sigh.

_Tomorrow's going to be a rough day. _He told himself, taking off his hat, _Kirby was hard enough to face…I even felt a bit upset over Lucario. But tomorrow…I wonder how HE feels about it…_

* * *

Toon Link was laying in his bed, trying to get to sleep, but he found he just couldn't. He stared into the darkness nervously. "Man…why can't I just automatically fall asleep?" He murmured, "Why do I have to sit here in the dark…and wait for it to come?"

_Okay…relax Toon Link. Just close your eyes and eventually you'll fall asleep… _He told himself, squeezing his cat-like eyes shut.

_Toon Link…there's something you should know… _Meta Knight's voice rang throughout his mind. He sat up, surprised.

"What Meta said…why did I just…?"

_You'll find out soon enough._

Something clicked in his brain. He realized who he would be against tomorrow… He gulped and whispered in a shaky voice, "Tomorrow I…I'm up against…I'm up against…myself!" He didn't want to fight his older self. He didn't know why, but he just didn't. "I don't want to fight anymore!" He cried out, "I can't! I'm done! This is so stupid. I can't take it anymore!" He turned and threw himself onto his pillow, burying his face in it. "Oh Farore…what am I supposed to do…?" He whimpered.

* * *

"Which bunk do you want, Snapdwagon?" Ness asked.

Snapdragon climbed to the top bunk with a joyful, "Meep!"

"Oh yeah, I guess you would want da top since you sweep in those high thingies cawed onions. Guess I got da bottom again tonight!" As he turned to head towards the door, Snapdragon leaned over the side and tugged at his hat. When it didn't come off, he pulled harder. Ness smirked. "Sowwy buddy. You'ww need some pwiers and a jackhamma to get dis baby off."

Snapdragon growled playfully. Ness headed for the door, making sure to lock it and turn of the lights. Then he climbed into the bed below Snapdragon's. "Anyways, good night!"

* * *

"…Agh, those kids." Meta Knight groaned, holding up his sabotaged box. They had ripped it up, drawn all over it, and spilled a substance on it that he was too afraid to identify. He looked at the gigantic bed, figuring he would just have to deal with sleeping in it from now on.

He grabbed the covers and went to climb up, but he slipped and fell back down, the blankets covering him as they fluttered down around him. He climbed out from under them, feeling embarrassed.

Instead, he took out his wings and flew up, pulling the covers up behind him. Then he lay down with a sigh, not bothering to take his mask and armor off. He had trained himself to sleep with it on. He had gotten used to it always being there for him…

Eventually, his eyes darkened and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Well it's about time they all went to sleep! I thought they'd stay up all night." A figure in the darkness growled, looking at a strange orb that was floating in front of them. It held a picture of Meta Knight, who was resting peacefully in his bed.

"Still, I'm amazed this has gone so well…sure there's a thing or two to fix, but I'll manage. But enough about that…" The figure turned to four shadows hiding out in the darkness. The shadows stepped forward, revealing themselves to be Mario, Pikachu, Sammy, and Kirby.

All were darker-looking than usual. Darkness seemed to surround them, blending them with the shadows. But there was one part that was not shaded. Their eyes were a piercing blood red…the kind Ness had encountered in his dream.

"Meanwhile, I have a task for you…"

* * *

The four demon-like smashers crept along the 3rd floor hallway. At one point, they split off into pairs. Kirby and Mario headed further down the hall, while Sammy stopped at a specific door. Pikachu stopped at another nearby door across the hall.

Sammy reached into his pocket, and pulled out a key. Then, very slowly, he inserted it into the keyhole and clicked open the door.

* * *

Meta Knight was too immersed in his dreams to hear what was going on outside his door. The clashing of swords filled his mind.

_He found himself on a hilltop. It was dark, yet the stars and the full moon lit up the field. He clutched Galaxia tightly in his right fist. A mirror image of himself stood across from him, but he knew that it was not he. The other Meta Knight held a darker version of Galaxia that had a red hue. His cape was in shreds and a scar ran down his mask over his left eye._

_The fake knight let out a deep laugh. Two velvet wings burst from his back, and he took flight. Meta Knight felt his own wings arise from his back and he flew after the doppelganger. In front of the moon, they battled, using their wings to fight in aerial combat. Yet, as Meta Knight grew weaker, it seemed that the Dark Meta Knight grew stronger. Gleefully, the dark knight cut a vertical scar down the real knight's mask. _

_Meta Knight flinched. Now he had a scar, just like the doppelganger, only it was on his right. As he drew back, the evil knight saw his chance and tackled him to the ground, separating him from his sword as he went. Galaxia fell from his hand uselessly and lay on the moist grass, appearing fragile without its master. _

_Then, out of nowhere came a mirror. Meta Knight could feel the mirror sucking him inside. He put both gloves in front of him, and felt the glass wall that trapped him. This had happened to him before when he had flown up to save the Mirror World…He looked through the mirror to see Kirby skipping along merrily. At the sight of the fake knight, Kirby changed directions and headed towards him with an ecstatic grin. _

"_What…?" Meta Knight shouted, finding his voice, "No! Kirby!!" He pounded frantically against the glass, but it didn't budge. "Get away from him!! That's not me!!" He watched helplessly as Kirby neared the imposter. He watched as the Dark Meta Knight pulled out his sword and hid it from the unaware puffball's view._

"_Kirby!" Meta Knight yelled, trying once more to break the glass. This time it shattered, almost willingly. He fell through the air, wings spread as he plunged downwards. Kirby couldn't die! He was Dreamland's hope! "Watch out!" He yelled to Kirby, who looked up in confusion, "He's going to--!"_

_He hit the ground full force, knocking the air out of him. "Kirby…?" He said. The puffball had just been standing under him…where had he gone? There was a soft patting of footsteps behind him. He turned and saw Dark Meta Knight…but wait…now it was Dark Kirby! He gasped._

_Kirby laughed evilly. He wore Meta Knight's armor and cape, and bore the same scar running down along his left eye. Meta Knight felt his hand touch his own scar he had gotten from the knight. _

_Kirby came forward, brandishing his sword. Meta Knight fell backwards, caught off guard as Kirby swung the weapon at him with surprising skill. Kirby kicked Meta Knight, sending him sprawling on his back._

"_Please…stop!" Meta Knight begged, refusing to fight his apprentice. Kirby paused, leering down at him. Then a big evil grin stretched across his face and he burst into flames. Meta Knight lay there in shock as the flames spread around him. There was no escape…_

_A loud shriek filled the air and a dark red wolf came bounding out of the flames. It leapt at him, snarling ferociously. Meta Knight tried to shield himself but it was too late. The last thing he saw was a flash of pure white fangs. _

_He could feel the monster's teeth piercing his skin, staining it with blood. It felt so real…_

_His mask clattered to the ground. He collapsed, next to it. The flames came forward and enveloped him, ending it…_

Meta Knight gasped, sitting up in his bed. He sat there, panting and sweating for a long time. He felt his face for the scar. Nothing was there.

"Just a dream…" He told himself, trying to calm down. He took a deep breath, then prepared to go back to sleep, but stopped when he heard something outside his door. It sounded like footsteps…

He turned to his pillow, and pulled Galaxia out from underneath it. He heard the click of the door being unlocked and the ghostly creak as it opened slowly. Through the darkness, he could see one red eye as it peered at him from behind the door.

"Who's there?!" He shouted bravely, standing up.

He locked eyes with the gleaming red ones. For a moment, the red eyes bored holes into the amber ones. Then the eyes narrowed until they had vanished altogether. Meta Knight felt a chill creep throughout his body. Finally, they had chosen him to go next.

_This can't be true. _He thought, looking around the room, _I locked my door…so why…? _Then he realized it. Last night, he had locked the door without even bothering to notice that one key was missing…

"Fool!" He scolded himself, _how could you be so stupid?!_

Meanwhile…

Sammy crept through the darkness, his shoes making the smallest of noises on the rug of the room he was in. As he came closer to the bed where Ness's sleeping form resided, his foot came down on something soft that let out a loud squeak.

"Come back when you can put up a fight!" The Meta Knight plushie's voice filled the room, destroying the silence.

Ness kept on sleeping. "Gznnt…papaya…?" He snored randomly.

Sammy approached him. Drawing back his hands, he formed P.K. Sparks on the end of them, ready to attack…

But Ness wasn't dreaming of papayas at that particular time. Something had clicked in his head at the sound of the bunny knight's voice. _"Come back when you can put up a fight…" Meta Knight…he's in danger! _

Something told him that something bad was about to happen. He snapped his eyes open and sat up quickly.

Then a hand reached out and caught him by the throat.

…

"I know you're there!" Meta Knight said, standing on his bed. His eyes searched the dark room. He wondered if he should make a dash for the light switch, but decided to hold his ground. "Show yourself!" He demanded.

Pikachu slinked around to the other side of the bed, positioning himself behind Meta Knight. At the knight's brave demand, he started to charge up an electric attack. Sparks erupted from his red cheeks, making the smallest of noises. Pikachu put his front paws on the bed, preparing himself to strike…

Meta Knight heard him, and went to turn around, but he was too late. With a loud zapping noise like an explosion, Pikachu leapt forward and gave Meta Knight a powerful shock that lit up the room. Meta Knight's eyes darkened. He fell to the floor by his bedside, his sword landing feet away from him. It was almost as if his nightmare had become reality.

There was nothing he could do now…

Except scream.

"GWAAAA!"

**I'm so evil to keep you like this. Preview, anyone?**

_Toon Link shook his head sadly, dismissing the question. "We never did think up another plan…did we?" He murmured, lowering his cat-like eyes. _

_"Well, no. I mean, what can we do?" Link said bluntly, "We have no clues leading us to the missing smashers and if we stop the tournament, the other smashers will be killed!"_

_"Like Meta Knight?" Toon Link said suddenly, a tinge of anger in his voice._

_Link was startled by the youth's words. He didn't quite know what to say. "…he isn't dead." He muttered. Toon Link turned on him, eyes filled with rage._

_"Yes he is!" He shouted, "And sooner or later, we'll all be dead too!!"_


	19. A Heart Full of Courage

**I've decided to discontinue this story.**

**Just kidding. But wouldn't it be funny if I suddenly decided to stop the story at such a dramatic part? That would be insanely funny and evil. **

**And so starts the 4****th**** and final quarter (comic) of…Tournament of Terror!**

"GWAAAAAA!" Meta Knight's cry echoed throughout the mansion, startling both Links from their peaceful slumber. Everyone thought the same thing at the exact same time: Meta Knight was in danger!

Ness, despite the dark hands gripping his throat, felt determination overwhelm him. "P.K. Flash!" He choked out, mustering a weak attack. But at least the hands drew away from his throat. Gasping in the darkness, he looked up in time to see his attacker turn away and run for the door. The flash had given him enough light to see them—and that cowlick was unmistakable.

"Sammy?!" Ness shouted, dashing after him. He threw open the door and started to pursue him down the hall, but stopped short at the sight of Meta Knight's room.

He hesitated for a long moment…

Crash!

Meanwhile, Link and Toon Link had burst from their rooms at the same moment, knocking into the evil forms of Kirby and Mario. They fell into one big heap, Toon Link on top.

"What the-?" He felt the squishy body underneath him. His eyes widened. He didn't dare believe it… "Kirby?!"

At the sound of his name, Kirby brought a foot smashing into the toon's face, knocking him back. Toon Link fell backwards, struggling to get up. The evil forms took off down the hall, disappearing into the darkness. "Argh…" Toon Link groaned, "Kirby! Mario! What's wrong with you? Why are you running?! Wait!" He snatched up his sword and went to chase them down, shouting, "Don't!" But a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Toon Link, stop!" His older self said firmly. TL looked back to see Link wearing nothing but his old Ordon shorts that he wore for sumo-wrestling. The Hylian looked comical, standing there shirtless with his sword and shield. Toon Link would have laughed if the situation weren't so dire.

"What's wrong with them?!" The boy exploded, "Why-?"

"That's not them." Link interrupted, "Or maybe it is, I don't know. Right now, we have to help Meta Knight!"

TL paused, looking reluctant. "Okay…" He agreed softly.

"I'll explain later." Link said, taking off down the hall, "Now let's go!"

Running with the speed of…Sonic…they arrived at the knight's door and flung it open. "Meta?" Toon shouted desperately, as they rounded the bed. Meta Knight was laying on the floor, against the wall next to his bed. His eyes were dark, smothered with pain, and his body shook as electricity crackled off of it in waves. He moaned, flailing his arms helplessly as if he didn't know they were there. Ness stood over him, his expression worried. Toon Link came forward, arm outstretched.

"Meta…" He murmured, but Link cut him off with a sharp, "Don't touch him!" The Hylian turned his attention to Ness. The psychic had looked nothing but guilty when they had entered the room. "Ness! Did you use P.K. Thunder on him?!" Ness opened his mouth to protest, but Link wouldn't let him. "Because if you did, this isn't very funny!"

"Of course I didn't!" Ness snapped, talking in his serious, sane voice again, "Stop acting like I'm stupid." Link looked totally surprised. "I didn't say…"

"Guys!" Toon Link yelled. They turned to look at the sad scene before them. Toon Link was crouched over Meta Knight. The poor knight had stopped moving, and was slumped lifelessly against the wall, not making a sound. "W-W-What's wrong with you guys?" Toon Link demanded shakily, "C-Can't you see Meta stopped moving? H-he may be…" He made a small choking sound, ending the sentence.

Link sighed, "You're right. Ness, what happened?"

"Sammy came in my room…" Ness explained calmly, "he was about to take me, but I fought him off. He ran, and I was about to chase him, but then I realized what really mattered was to help Meta Knight. I came in and yelled. Something ran past my feet, but I didn't see what."

Little Link looked thoughtful. "It was Pikachu!" He whispered in awe, "Our roommates stole our keys to come take us tonight!"

Everyone shivered. Link offered Ness a weak smile. "Well, it's a good thing you got here Ness. Otherwise, Pikachu would have taken Meta Knight."

TL looked up at the other Link. "But isn't he…?"

"I'm sure he's just unconscious." Link said quickly, "Toon Link, feel him for a pulse."

"What?!" Toon Link cried out in astonishment. Everyone stared at him. "Erm…I mean…okay…" He approached Meta slowly, his fingers fumbling around aimlessly. After a few moments of hesitation, he cried out, "Where the heck is his neck?!"

Ness stepped forward, and bent down, grabbing Meta Knight's arm. "Feel his wrist…like this!" He said smartly. Toon Link stared at him, wondering what this alien had done with the real Ness. The psychic paused, then said nervously, "I…I don't feel anything…"

"N…no! Meta can't be dead!" Toon said, closing his eyes.

"No, he can't." Link said seriously, "Maybe we're wrong. Maybe he's just paralyzed.

"But…he has no pulse!" TL argued.

"Link's right." Ness said, forcing a small smile. "He's paralyzed and I'm going to stay with him till he wakes up!"

Both Links exchanged a doubtful glance. Right now, they could only wait and hope to find out…

* * *

"Wink and Wink! Guess what I made!" Ness shouted as the two Zelda characters entered the kitchen. Both frowned, not sure whether they were happy or upset Ness was acting crazy again.

"Pancakes?" Link guessed. "Waffles?" Other Link guessed.

"Nope!" Ness shouted joyfully, and they waited for him to present some disgusting meal. Instead, he pulled out a cereal bowl and inserted a spoonful into his mouth. "Ceweal." He scowled, "Cuz dat's about aww we have. Dig in."

Both felt relieved. Toon Link looked nervously from Link to Ness. "How's um...err…"

"He hasn't woken up yet…" Ness told him.

"Should we…is he…? TL tried again, but he couldn't seem to find any of the right words that moment.

Link spoke this time. "For now, Toon Link, we'll wait to see if he wakes up before his match. If not, we'll have to stop the battles…"

"Y-yeah…the battles…" The young boy let out a small sigh. Link rested his head on his hands, avoiding the other Hylian's gaze. Ness shoved his bowl into TL's face, saying, "Wook, da ceweal tuwns da miwk puwple!"

Finally, after they sat in silence (despite Ness going on about the amazing purple milk) Link decided to say something. "I just remembered something Meta Knight said to me…" He told the other two, "It was our first night here. Meta Knight, he said, "Friends will fight friends for their survival and sacrifices will be made…" I guess he was right after all."

* * *

Four shapes emerged from the darkness. Their expressions were worried and they shook where they stood. Another, larger shape, also appeared before them.

"I must say I am severely disappointed." It told them, "Not only did you fail an easy task, but you made it even worse by paralyzing one and leaving them there!"

The small rodent, Pikachu, trembled violently. He let out the smallest of squeaks, but it went unheard as the voice continued, "Changes will have to be made. I now know I can't leave such a task in your hands. So instead, I will leave it to my makeshift army I gathered before the tournament."

More shapes gathered behind this evil being. Some were walking corpses, some were one-eyed mutants, and one was even a large beetle-like creature. But none could stand up to the pink, many-toothed beast, that led them through the darkness, headed for a destination no one quite knew.

* * *

"Well, the semifinals are starting in a half an hour and, despite the lack of interviews, we're all extremely excited!" The main announcer declared, looking much more enthusiastic now than the day before. Too bad the semifinalists didn't share that great enthusiasm.

Link approached Toon Link from behind. "Ness is upstairs playing Brawl." He told him. "Why aren't you with him?"

Toon shook his head sadly, dismissing the question. "We never did think up another plan…did we?" He murmured, lowering his cat-like eyes.

"Well, no. I mean, what can we do?" Link said bluntly, "We have no clues leading us to the missing smashers and if we stop the tournament, the other smashers will be killed!"

"Like Meta Knight?" Toon Link said suddenly, a tinge of anger in his voice.

Link was startled by the youth's words. He didn't quite know what to say. "…he isn't dead." He muttered. Toon Link turned on him, eyes filled with rage.

"Yes he is!" He shouted, "And sooner or later, we'll all be dead too!!" He got up off the couch and stomped towards the transporter.

Link blinked in amazement. "Where are you going?"

"The transporter." The little Link grumbled.

"The match starts in thirty minutes." Link told him gently, "until then, you'll be suspended in nothingness."

TL gave a long pause, not bothering to turn around. "Well I guess that's one place I'll be safe." He said bitterly, disappearing inside. Link shook his head regretfully, and headed to the bottom of the steps.

"Ness get down here!" He called up, "The matches are starting soon!"

"Okay!" Came Ness's faint reply.

A minute later, Ness came stomping down the steps, Meta Knight clutched in his arms, Snapdragon riding upon his head. "Hewe I come!" He called down. Just as he finished saying that, he lost his footing on one of the top steps, and flailed his arms as he nearly tripped. Meta Knight sailed through the air. With a loud banging, he hit each step and bounced off of it until he landed facedown in a heap on the floor. Ness rushed to his side, looking horrified.

Link sweatdropped. "Well, if Meta Knight wasn't already dead…he is now."

Ness picked up the knight and set him gently on the sofa. Link could tell the psychic felt upset, so he changed the subject. "The battle's going to start soon. Sure you'll be okay here?" He asked.

Ness nodded. "Yeah."

"You sure?" Link asked again, frowning, "You'll be alone. Maybe we should call this off." Ness looked away sadly.

"You know why we can't do that. Besides, I won't be awone. I have Snapdwagon."

"You're right…I'll try to make this fast…" Link stepped inside the transporter and was whisked away to the stage, which turned out to be the simple Battlefield. Ness sat on the couch, eyes fixed on the TV. Snapdragon hopped up next to him and clutched him nervously.

"And here it is," The announcer screamed, "the start of the semi-finals! Ready…GOOO!"

The two Links faced off on the field of battle, as the announcer started the match. They fought sword on sword, Link using his power, while Little Link used his speed. They crowd was going wild, maybe even wilder than on the first day. "Yeah!" "Wooooo!" "Go Link!" People cheered, unsure of which Link they were actually rooting for.

Swords clashed, bombs exploded, arrows flew. As usual, the announcer was shrieking his head off. "They're neck and neck!" He bellowed dramatically, "Which Link will win?!"

Ness, half bored with the announcer acting so full of himself, looking down at the small shape to his right. "Hey Meta Knight," He said, "Can you heaw what the TV's saying? Can you heaw what I'M saying? …" Meta Knight didn't respond. "Come on man, gimme a sign!" Ness said desperately.

Then he realized that maybe Meta Knight didn't like him for some unknown reason, and he didn't _want_ to give Ness a sign. "Youw not feewing newvous awound me, awe ya?" Ness asked, "Y'know, cuz…uh…I wasn't pwanning to take youw mask off ow anything…" He lied, looking away sheepishly.

A soft pink glow came from Meta Knight's eyes. Ness looked over, mouth agape. "Meta Knight! You…you…You'we awive!" In his haste to hug him, Ness tackled Meta Knight off the couch, but didn't even notice in all his happiness.

Back on the Battlefield, the sun was starting to set and the stars began to creep over the horizon. Toon Link stepped back from Link, looking up at him. "Okay, that's it!" He declared, "I don't wanna fight you anymore!"

Link stared at him, hardly daring to believe his ears. Outraged cries exploded from the audience. "What?" "No more fighting?" "Boo!" Hecklers began to shout insults at the poor boy. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes, and he squeezed them shut to hold them back. "This whole time…" He murmured, "I've been trying to be brave like you, but I'm just…not." He sniffled a couple times.

Link put away his sword and shield, and came forward to comfort him, "Not brave?" He said, "You must be kidding! Of course you are-!"

"No I'm not!" TL snapped, "When I was stuck at Norfair…I was so scared! I bet you…or even Sammy wouldn't have been as scared as I was…!"

The crowd continued to jeer and shout rude comments. Neither Link could hear them now. Twilight Princess Link held up his left hand. The Triforce was shining brightly on it. "Toon Link…" He said firmly, "Stop talking nonsense. Anyone in their right mind would have been scared. And don't tell me you're not brave…the Triforce of Courage doesn't choose cowards. That's why you possess it just as I do…"

Toon Link gazed at him, eyes shining gratefully. But then he shook his head, taking on a serious look. "You're right. That's why…I've made up my mind." He tried to keep his voice from shaking as he told his other self, "I'm not going to be the one to save all the smashers. My role is over. But you…Link, you have to go on!"

And with that, the brave little Hylian turned and treaded towards the edge of the stage. His heart swelling with courage, he jumped, down into the darkness that awaited him. He didn't hear Link's cries of shock as he went. He just focused on his goal…

Link tried to run after him. He tried to save him from bringing this horrible fate upon himself. He wanted to tell his little self that everything would be all right and they would work something out so no more smashers had to be taken.

But he couldn't.

The transporter, the crowd, the evil kidnapper—none of them would let him do that.

And so, he was transported back to the mansion, the image of Toon Link's descent still hanging in his mind…

Meta Knight and Ness had watched in silence. They both knew that the two Links had hated each other at first, but had grown to become friends. Both exchanged a knowing glance. They wouldn't bring up Toon Link when Link returned. So when Link appeared in the transporter, Ness rushed up to him, holding Meta out in front of him. "Wink, guess what, guess what!" He shouted happily. "Meta Knight's awive!" Link looked much happier.

"Oh my gosh, that's great!" He gasped, "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible." Meta Knight replied, "I can't move my arms or legs and Ness keeps throwing me around like a doll. There's no way I can fight…"

Link felt his heart sink. "I guess we can't keep it a secret anymore. We'll have to cancel the match." He told them. _Or at least prolong it until Meta Knight can move again. _He added silently. He turned and started to leave the room. "I'm going to see if I can contact the news…"

Ness threw his arms in the air joyously, dropping Meta Knight in the process. "I'm gonna go make wunch!" He exclaimed as the puffball hit the floor with a loud "whump!" Ness ran out of the room, paying him no mind.

"…Great." Meta Knight growled, facedown on the floor. "I'll be right here when you get back."

* * *

"They're delaying the tournament? I can't wait any longer! I'm sick of it! Go now…invade the mansion…and take the remaining smashers!"

* * *

**Jeez Mety! How many times are you gonna fake your death? I liked the ending on this one. Even though it was a very serious chapter there were still a couple of funny moments. XD Sorry no preview this time, since I don't feel like cliffhanging you as much as I already have been. **

**...Hmm...I wonder if there IS a cereal that turns the milk purple...**


	20. The Truth

**This chapter contains some gore…but I guess it's time we got down and dirty, eh? And finally…this is the chapter…you WILL find out who's been kidnapping all of the smashers! IT'S HERE! So what are you waiting for? READ IT!**

Link came walking into the Tournament Room. "I couldn't get a hold of them. Let's check the TV to see if…" He trailed off at the sight of Meta Knight laying on the floor. Sweatdropping, Link leaned down to pick him up. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Ask Ness." Meta Knight hissed. "Anyways, I think I'm getting some feeling back." He feebly twitched a foot.

"That's good." Link said, setting him on the couch. "I'm going to see what's going on on TV." He clicked the TV back on. What he saw made him jump.

The studio was in shambles; the usual announcer's hair was in disarray, a well as his sunglasses, tie, and everything else. He was screaming his head off while his female assistants ran around in the background, panicking.

"The stadium is in an uproar! That last match was an upset! What's wrong with that Toon Link?! And why haven't Meta Knight and Ness appeared for their match yet?! This is the worst semifinals ever! What is wrong with the smashers?! We'll be sending an investigation team over to the mansion!! So stay tuned! And someone get me a beer!!"

Afraid to see more, Link switched the TV back off. He turned away nervously, heading for the phone in the Main Hall again. "Well, I guess I should try and call them again." He was almost out of the room when he heard soft footsteps coming from the steps. He stopped and stared at them, puzzled. Then something rounded the corner that made him freeze where he stood.

"Guys!" Ness called, coming out of the Tournament Room to where Link stood, shaking. "Come get some sandwiches!" He stopped when he noticed the Hylian trembling. "Hey! What's wong?"

Link opened his mouth and stammered, "R…R…Redeads!"

Moaning, the corpses came slinking down the stairs. Their skin was brown and rotting, and there were big black holes where their eyes should have been. Their mouths gaped in an "O" shape as they started down the stairs. Wrinkles lined their skin, and Link could count their ribs. As their eyeballess eyes stared him down, Link felt he couldn't move to save himself. "Can't…g-get away…" He gasped, unable to break his gaze. A sharp pain ran up his cheek as a yoyo came smashing into it. Ness shoved him, breaking the deadly eye contact. "Wink! Move!" He shouted, and both ran back into the Tournament Room to take cover behind the couch.

"Get down!" Link told the others, as Snapdragon dragged Meta Knight around the corner. The redeads, walking very slowly, appeared in the doorway and looked around.

"What _are_ those things?" Meta Knight muttered.

"Redeads." Link explained, "If you look at them, you'll become immobilized. Then they'll suck the energy out of you. They're from my game, so I should know."

"Oh, that is _just _what I need." Meta Knight said sarcastically. So far he had been tranquilized and paralyzed—he would have loved to add immobilized to the list.

Link's ears twitched suddenly. "You guys hear something?" He asked. The others strained to hear it. It was a soft buzzing…it grew louder and louder until—

Two large pinscher-like arms came down out of nowhere, one grabbing Snapdragon's stalk, the other grabbing Meta Knight's cape. "Snitchbug!" The little Pikmin screamed in fear. The giant bug glared down at them with orange, narrow eyes. It clutched its to captives to its fat green body and started to fly away, its long antennae buzzing loudly.

Meta Knight reached back, arm shaking, and took out his sword. In one quick slice, Meta Knight had freed himself of the Swooping Snitchbug's grip. Its right leg fell to the floor, the stump it left behind bleeding heavily. The bug screeched in pain, and turned to flee, getting away with just one prisoner. Snapdragon flailed his little arms wildly, his eyes wide with fear.

Meta Knight landed heavily on his feet, collapsed, but forced himself back up. "Meta Knight!" Link yelled, coming over to him, surprised he was able to move so soon. But then he noticed that the knight was shaking and having some difficulty holding his sword.

"Don't worry about me!" He shouted at the other two, "Snapdragon's been taken, and the redeads are still here…" In response, the redeads began to close in, moaning and groaning their excitement.

Ness frowned. "Okay, that's it!" He declared, taking off his backpack and dropping down to the ground. "It's time fow you to find out what's in dis backpack o' mine!" He threw open the backpack and light spilled out of it. Sparkles flew throughout the room and a harsh wind nearly knocked them off their feet. Dramatic music started playing. The redeads recoiled, trying to shield themselves from the light. The other two smashers looked on in shock, Link's hat and Meta's cape billowing in the wind. Ness reached into the depths of the backpack, and after hesitating a long moment, he drew his hands out, holding what he had taken out in the air.

"Ta-da!" He shouted and the music stopped. Everyone stared at the Mr. Saturn he had clutched in his hands. It looked like it was dead. Who knew how long Ness had kept it in his backpack until now?

Link exchanged a glance with a random redead.

"This is your secret weapon?" Link said, pointing at it, "A half-smothered Mr. Saturn?"

"_That's _what was making all that light and wind?" Meta Knight said in disbelief.

"Mista Satuwn! Coffee Table! Pwonto!" The Mr. Saturn suddenly sprang to life. He jumped through the air and landed neatly on a coffee table shaped to look like him. It had a nose, legs, feet, and even a little bow. Mr. Saturn got on the nose and hopped up and down excitedly. It was the coffee table Sammy usually rode! Everyone piled onto it at Ness's command.

"Get weady guys. It's gonna be a wild wide…" He said nervously as they faced the army of redeads on front of them. The corpses formed a wall, staring at them intensely. A tumbleweed rolled past. Ness took a deep breath. "3…2…1…GO-AUGGHHH!"

His shout turned to a scream as the Coffee Express took off running at an amazing speed, faster than the fastest hedgehog.

_Flashback: You're too slow!_

Anyways…

The three smashers were thrown back. Ness barely managed to grab ahold of the bow, while Link grabbed his feet, and Meta grabbed Link's. They screamed their heads off as the coffee table sped forward. "Zoom." Mr. Saturn said simply. The large feet of the table trampled the redeads as they went by, leaving them lying there crippled.

The table zoomed up the first set of steps, swerving left and right. The smashers had barely gotten themselves situated when Meta Knight screamed, "DOOR!!"

There was a loud sound of splintering wood as they crashed through the room. The table swerved again, getting back on track, as it climbed the second set of steps to the third floor. On the way, small orange Pikachu-like heads came into view.

"Hey, what are those? Up there!" Link shouted over the rush of air.

"Oh my God." Meta Knight said.

"What?!" Link shouted.

"SCARFIES!" Meta bellowed.

"Head fow da hills!" Ness shouted.

The cute-looking scarfies turned vicious as their enemies passed by. Their two shining eyes melded together to form one. Their innocent mouths hanging open filled with razor-sharp teeth that could cut skin like a knife through butter. They turned red and, shrieking, began to fly after the smashers, who started screaming like the devil was after them.

As they scaled the fourth set of steps, the scarfies hot on their tails, they made their way into a room and slammed the door shut. They could hear the scarfies snarl from outside as they began to chip at the door with their needle-like teeth.

"Ding! Thank you for riding the Coffee Express!" Mr. Saturn said as the table disappeared and the smashers collapsed in a heap on the floor. Link was the first to get up. He stumbled to his feet, feeling dizzy.

His eyes fell on a black object in front of the TV. "Ugh…what's that…?" He groaned, wondering if he was seeing things.

Then they noticed the Snitchbug lying there dead in a pool of its own blood. It had bled to death by Meta Knight's sword. And yet, Snapdragon was nowhere to be found. Then Link realized what the black object was.

"The Snitchbug!" Meta Knight shouted.

"A portal!" Link shouted.

"THE WII!" Ness shouted loudest of all. "Out of AWW da pwaces fow dis powtal to appeaw, it just had to appeaw on da WII!!" He sobbed, for the Wii was no more. The portal had appeared on it and it had disappeared into oblivion. Just as Ness finished saying this, the portal began to grow with a loud swooping sound. It expanded over everything within range. The smashers watched in horror as it went down the line…

The Gamecube…the Nintendo 64…the SNES…the NES…

The portal stopped when it had consumed all of them. Whether it was by bad luck or by some mysterious reason, we'll never know. The smashers didn't have time to ponder this, for a large pink paw appeared from the portal. Another paw followed it…and before they knew it, they were facing an old friend of theirs.

Link and Meta Knight unsheathed their swords. "The Chimera…" Link growled, his expression hardening. "It must be guarding the portal." Meta Knight said, taking a step forward. Ness threw his hand out in front of them.

"Stop." He said firmly, "He's mine."

The Chimera's toothy "smile" widened. It let out a small hiss of pleasure. The last boy in stripes had tasted delicious—perhaps this one would taste just as good. The monster dashed forward, roaring. Ness came forward and jumped through the air. The Ultimate Chimera opened its mouth and the psychic boy landed neatly on its tongue. Before the beast could snap its jaws shut, Ness began to push up on the roof of its mouth with all of his strength.

"P.K. Fwash!" He cried out weakly, as the Chimera tried to crush him. The shining green energy disappeared down the monster's throat. Out of shock, it released Ness and he fell back. It gulped, looking at Ness with confused yellow eyes. Then there was a noise like an explosion—and the Ultimate Chimera was lying crippled on the floor. The bird on its head fluttered away as its perch hit the ground painfully.

The Chimera lay there, staring at them with wide, surprised eyes, as if he couldn't believe he was injured. Blood poured from his gaping mouth.

"It's bleeding internally." Meta Knight stated.

"That should be enough Ness." Link said, wincing. "Let's go-!"

He was cut off by a loud, "P.K. Fire!" As Ness set the beast alight with flames. The Chimera let out one last defiant snarl, but it changed into a painful gurgle of blood. The Chimera glared at them a moment longer before closing its eyes forever. The invincible Ultimate Chimera had been defeated from the inside. Everyone watched as the last flames on it died down. Nothing more than a charred heap of flesh was left.

"You didn't have to do that, you know." Link told Ness, "We could have just left."

"Yeah and he would have killed us later." Ness growled, clenching his fist, "Besides…I hadn't gotten my revenge yet." Link frowned uncertainly while Meta Knight listened to Ness with wise, knowing eyes. After standing around for what seemed like forever, they turned away from the defeated bodies of the Chimera and the Snitchbug.

"It's time to find out where the missing smashers are…" Link said, looking at the two remaining before him. "Meta Knight? Are you up to coming?"

"Of course." The knight replied, flexing his arms, "I feel fine."

"Okay." Link turned to the other. "Ness?"

"Yeah." Ness turned to Mr. Saturn. "Mista Satawn, make suwe da powtal stays open." The friendly creature replied with a happy, "Kay-o!" and went to stand by the portal. The three smashers turned to face it.

"All right…" Link breathed, "Let's do this…"

They jumped into the portal, disappearing in a wave of blackness.

Snapdragon moaned. He was lying on the ground…the Snitchbug that had captured him was nowhere in sight. And yet, he couldn't shake the bad feeling that crawled along his stem. With a small whimper, he pushed himself to his feet, looking at his surroundings. It was so dark…and just as all Pikmin were, Snapdragon was deathly afraid of the dark. Trying not to shiver, he looked around, but that was the problem—there was nothing to look at. It was too dark to make out anything.

Suddenly, an ice-cold hand gripped his stalk. Letting out a cry of fear, he looked up into the crimson eyes of his once-master Olimar.

"There you are…Snapdragon." He said, in a voice that was so unlike his usual gentle one. This new voice made the poor yellow Pikmin tremble all over. Olimar smiled, enjoying the plant's fear. "I'm surprised you survived after dark." He said menacingly, giving Snapdragon's stem a squeeze.

As he squeezed it, black gooey liquid seeped out of his hand onto the Pikmin. It began to creep up to his leaf, and down his face. Snapdragon squeezed his eyes shut, tears forming in his eyes as the evil liquid made its way down his face, transforming him. As it reached his little green leaf, the leaf was transformed into a ghastly mushroom. Snapdragon's ears disappeared. His yellow coloring turned a sickening purple. When he opened his eyes, they were blank, white, and pupiless.

He had become one of them.

"It's dark." Meta Knight said blankly, as the trio stood, looking around.

"But we're all lit up!" Link pointed out, looking down at himself. He could see himself perfectly, but everything else was black. It was like they were suspended in nothingness.

"Just wike in my dweam!" Ness said nervously.

Just as he finished speaking, a pair of scarlet eyes blinked open, not too far in front of them. Everyone held their breath, watching the pair of eyes stare back at them. More eyes began to appear, blinking open out of nowhere. They formed a circle, holding the three trapped in their piercing gaze.

Link tried to look past all of the eyes, but it was too much. He forced himself to meet every single one of their stares, but was met with nothingness. The eyes didn't even blink. They just kept watching…

A deep laugh filled the anticipating silence. As the voice finished laughing, it said, "I was wondering when you three would show up."

The three smashers moved closer together.

Link gripped his sword and shield tightly, stepping anxiously from foot to foot. Ness formed sparks on the tips of his fingers and held them there, ready to fight if necessary. Meta Knight flourished his cape and held his sword up, in hopes of intimidating the enemy…

The enemy…they were finally about to find out who had been kidnapping all of the smashers. They were going to meet who had ruined the third tournament of smashing and they were going to stop this chaos.

"Who are you?!" Link called out bravely, his voice echoing all around them. "Show yourself!!" They waited in the silence.

Finally, the deep voice spoke again. "…Very well."

And then it came.

Floating…almost materializing out of that shadows came a large white hand.

Ness gasped, "Masta Hand?!"

Link gripped Ness's shoulder; whether it was for the boy's comfort or his own, he didn't know. "No." He whispered, eyes fixed on their newfound enemy.

"Crazy Hand."


	21. The Darkest Hour

**I'm updating! I'm updating! I can't believe it! I thought I would never get this updated but here I am and…and…I'm updating!**

**Umm…I don't know why I put flashbacks in italics. So you know who the kidnapper is now! How do you feel? Satisfied? Unsatisfied? Hungry for a snow cone? Just tell me in a review! **

"Why thank you for the introduction, Link." Crazy Hand sneered, "And Ness, you should know better. I hate being confused with my pathetic brother."

No one was listening. Link looked nervously from Ness to Meta Knight. "I'll bet he's sick of the smashers beating up on him." He whispered.

"And now he's back for revenge…" Meta Knight finished quietly.

"No, no, not quite." Came Crazy Hand's voice, making everyone jump. Link wondered how he had heard them. "You swordsmen are so quick to conclusions. It's more of the opposite…" He spread his fingers wide. Glowing orbs appeared out of the darkness behind him, swirling and gleaming. "I'm sick of everyone ignoring and looking down on me…and I hate everyone thinking I'm mental just because my name is Crazy Hand! My brother gets too much attention while I am the stronger of us!" The giant hand signaled to the shining spheres behind him that blazed a beautiful mixture of gold, silver, and white. "So I took it upon myself to learn how to make people mine. I took everything important—their minds, their free will, their emotions…I mastered this evil technique in my quest for revenge. In other words, I made myself capable of-!"

"Stealing souls." Meta Knight interrupted, with a glare at the shining orbs, which they now knew were souls of the smashers.

If Crazy Hand had a mouth, he would have smiled. "…That's right, Meta Knight." He said slowly, "At first, it was just to torture my brother before I disposed of him. But then I realized…why not create an army? And then I knew that I had the perfect army living under my thumb all this time…the smashers, more powerful than a hundred armed men. I could take revenge on the world! And now…you are going to become apart of that army." The three smashers tensed up at these words.

Ness's mouth hung open, his eyes widened in fright. The psychic's eyes searched the sea of red eyes in front of him. Link had a set snarl on his face, his features wrinkled with anger. He looked like he had taken apart of his wolf form and imprinted it on his face. Meta Knight held his sword tightly, his eyes blazing with ferocity. He was ready to fight at any given moment.

But Crazy Hand shrugged his fingers. He seemed as if he wanted to delay the fight that was coming to make them even more anxious. "Of course…" He said lazily, as if he didn't care, "you've gotten this far…and for that, I commend you. I will tell you everything that has happened up to this point…"

_After doing away with Master Hand, I put his body in a trunk and locked it in his room. Then I began my plan. I traveled to different worlds, collecting volunteers for my small evil army. Once I was satisfied, we left to go to the Mushroom Kingdom. First, I took Princess Peach, pretending the BeanBean Kingdom had done it. For Sonic, I started the rumor that he had been shot. I was even able to intercept Marth while he was headed for that highway of his…yes, all was going as planned…_

_But there was a minor error. I lost a smasher and had to retrieve it quickly._

_I was successful. I even found out that I could break into a certain smasher's dreams. Before I could put that to use however, a small group came into the darkness to look for me. I tried to take them…but I failed. I settled for messing with dreams and almost got one of you to join me. Instead, I ended up losing a Pikmin. At one point, I nearly gained one when the transporter broke. I went into the control room to insure I would get it. _

_No luck._

_Sick of failing, I sent your roommates to take you but they messed everything up and delayed the tournament. I had no choice but to send my makeshift army, yet you passed them by._

"And now, here we are in the middle of nowhere…and here is the ultimate question." Crazy Hand reached up to a soul above him and balanced it on his pointer finger. "Will you surrender your soul?"

Link opened his mouth for a sharp retort, but the hand cut him off loudly. "Ah, of course the answer is no." Crazy Hand said, even though he had no mouth. "But keep in mind, smashers, you are outnumbered. I can make things very painful. How painful you ask? I could swarm you with smashers, letting them beat you down until you are forced to give in. And yet…there is another way…even more painful. But what could be more painful than being attacked by so many smashers? I'll show you what. It's this…"

Crazy Hand snapped his giant fingers, sending out a shockwave of sound, and three figures emerged out of the darkness. Taking shape, the three smashers realized with horror that they were Kirby, Zelda, and Sammy.

"No…" Link whispered hoarsely.

The three soulless smashers leapt forward. Zelda came at him, her fingers overflowing with magic, although it was not the same pure magic that she used in battle. It was dark and sinister looking. Link backed away, avoiding her as she sent a stream of her black magic at him.

"I just want to remind you boys…" Crazy Hand cackled evilly.

Kirby inhaled Meta Knight's sword, becoming Galaxia Kirby, only his Galaxia was black and red instead of gold.

"That these aren't some dumb clones you're about to fight…"

Sammy stalked up to Ness, a small smile playing upon his lips as if he were about to eat Ness rather than fight him.

"It's the real thing!" Crazy Hand's laughter filled the darkness and the three groups broke out into fighting. Link tried his best to shield the oncoming attacks from his princess.

"I don't want to fight you, Zelda!" He shouted at her, trying to get the real Zelda inside to hear him. She didn't, and used Nayru's Love, knocking him back. Crazy Hand couldn't stop his insane laughter.

"Foolish hero!" He crowed, "It's a kill or be killed scenario…that or give me your soul!" He flexed his fingers in a creepy way, as if he wanted to grab the souls right out of them. Link felt a chill run up his spine. An evil smile crossed Zelda's lips. She held two balls of dark fire on her hands.

"You can't hide behind your shield forever, Link…" She hissed, preparing to use Din's Fire. There was a sound of running feet, and Link barely managed to hold his sword up in front of him before another hit it with a loud clang. He locked eyes with Toon Link, flinching at the sight of them. Things had just gotten even harder. Trying to shield Zelda's magic with his shield while blocking Toon Link's attacks with his sword was incredibly difficult. The Hylian wondered how long he could last.

Not too far off, Meta Knight was dueling with Kirby. He seemed to be the only one enjoying the dire situation they were in, and was actually pointing out Evil Kirby's mistakes, as if they were back in Dreamland, training.

"You're pathetic!" The knight said, leaping backwards as Kirby swiped his sword at where he was two seconds ago. "Your aim is poor and you are easily throwing yourself off-balance. You are hesitating each time you strike, making your moves slow and predictable. Compared to the real Kirby I know and mentor…"

He charged forward and tackled Kirby, shouting, "You are nothing!" The puffball was bowled over. Snarling, he got back up and raced at Meta Knight to attack him again.

As the two fought on, Ness was facing his own problems. He hit the ground hard with a loud, "Ow!" but forced himself up quickly. Sammy walked over and stood over him.

"Well Ness?" He taunted, "Am I stronger than you thought I was?"

"I'm not gonna fight!" Ness cried out.

Sammy got out his stick and brought it smashing into the side of Ness's face. Ness tasted blood as it made contact. He was knocked onto his hands and knees, trembling and bleeding from his mouth. Sammy's smile faded and he looked deadly serious, blinking his blank red eyes slowly.

"…You didn't believe I could win." He said softly, referring to his last battle against Dedede.

"No!" Ness protested.

"You thought I was weak…" Sammy went on, and each word bored holes through Ness.

"No!" He said, tears appearing at the corners of his eyes, "I just wanted to make suwe we got through the touwnament together!"

"You lie." Sammy hissed.

"You don't mean that…" Ness whispered, "Cwazy Hand's just makin' you say those things!" Sammy just smiled.

"Enough!" Link shouted from afar, rolling out of the way as Toon Link stabbed at him. "We have to attack Crazy Hand!"

"Not so fast, Hero." The hand sneered, "Come anywhere near me, and I'll sic _all_ of the smashers on you." As if in response to his words, the smashers moved to form a protective wall in front of the giant hand.

"Wink, what awe we gonna do?!" Ness yelled hysterically, "I don't wanna fight Sammy anymowe!!"

Crazy Hand curled his fingers in delight. "If you'd like," He said, with false sweetness, "I can give you a moment to think it over. Fight your friends to the death or become my soulless slave. It's your choice…" He snapped his fingers once more, and the four fighters returned to his side, guarding him from their previous opponents along with the rest of the smashers.

The three returned to each other's sides and stood there in silence for a long moment. Then Meta Knight took a deep breath and said, "…I have decided to give him my soul."

"What?!" Link said in disbelief. Ness gazed at the swordsman sadly. Meta Knight looked at Link with his piercing yellow eyes.

"It will be the perfect distraction for you two to finish him off." Meta Knight said sternly, "Get past the smashers and kill him while he is taking my soul."

Link then realized that the old knight wasn't being weak…he had a plan. "But what about you?" He asked, "And how are we going to get past them?"

"You will find a way…" The Star Warrior murmured. He turned and began to walk calmly away, heading to where the giant hand was waiting. Ness remained behind as Link ran after him shouting, "Meta Knight, wait!"

Meta Knight stopped. Link stood behind him, breathing heavily with nervousness. "What if we can't?" He finally managed to say, "What if you…?" He trailed off, his blue eyes wide as he stared at the other smasher. For a long moment, Meta Knight didn't respond. Then finally, he turned around.

"Link…if I endanger you or Ness in any way…please do not hesitate to kill me." A picture of Meta Knight lying battered and broken on the ground flashed through Link's mind. Without waiting for a response, the knight turned away from the Hylian and walked steadily towards where the hand waited.

"Meta…" Link said, trying to find the right words to say. Ness approached from behind and said quietly, "Wink? I have something to show you…" Link looked at the psychic questionably. Ness reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out a smash ball. Link gasped.

"A smash ball!" He exclaimed, his voice an amazed whisper, "Where did you…?"

"I took it afta my battle with Pokemon Twaina." He said with a twinge of guilt, holding onto the floating ball tightly, keeping it hidden from Crazy Hand. Link smiled.

"Thank goodness you did." He said in relief, "Now you can use your final smash to save us!" To his dismay, Ness didn't share his enthusiasm. Instead, he bit his lip nervously.

"No…" He said, thrusting the item into Link's arms, "You do it!"

Link pushed it back into his own arms. "No way Ness." He said firmly, "It's your smash ball and you're going to use it." He dramatically unsheathed his sword and took out his shield. "And I'll be the one to finish him…" He said, eyes narrowing.

Meta Knight stepped up to where the giant hand floated. His minions glared, their red eyes standing out in the darkness, as the suspended souls behind Crazy Hand flickered and swirled different colors. "I'm ready." Meta Knight said, shooting a challenging gaze at the evil hand.

Crazy curled his fingers in delight. "You always were a smart one, Meta Knight." He snickered. Without warning, a purple orb surrounded Meta Knight, trapping him. The knight tried not to show his surprise, but he guessed his eyes must have widened a bit because the hand just laughed even louder. Then he moved forward, fixing his fingers around the orb and raising it into the air. Meta Knight felt his senses begin to numb. He tried to force himself to keep his eyes open, but his vision was clouding over quickly. He heard a faint yell through the haze of his mind.

"Ness! Now!!" Link yelled.

Ness broke the smash ball in his hands. He felt the power flood throughout his veins. His eyes and body shone brilliantly, illuminating the dark. The soulless smashers backed away from the light, shielding their reddened eyes. Ness looked down at his hands in wonderment. Raising one high, he took a deep breath and shouted…

"P.K…STARSTOOORM!!!"

Fiery blue stars came raining down all around him, bringing light into the world they stood in. Coming down at an angle, they struck every possessed smasher there was, sweeping them off their feet. Crazy Hand, pelted by the stars, lost contact with his souls and they flew back to their respective owners in a flurry of sparkles. It was a beautiful sight as the souls disappeared inside each and every smasher. Even Olimar's Pikmin returned to normal as their master regained his soul. The red eyes and dark bodies were gone…in their place was the peaceful sleeping forms of the smashers.

Ness put his arms down and turned to see all of them return to normal. A smile crossed his face as the last traces of stars and sparkles disappeared, bringing back the blackness that enveloped everything. A piercing cry of anger split the darkness and he turned to see Meta Knight hit the floor where Crazy Hand had dropped him.

"NOOOO!" Crazy Hand howled, "MY SOULS!!" He pointed a threatening finger at Ness. "Now you'll pay!!!" The hand formed into a fist and flew towards Ness, roaring. Ness turned to run, but wasn't fast enough as the hand prepared to finish him.

Then there was a sound like a sword being slashed through the air and Crazy Hand stopped dead in his tracks. Link stood there, his face hard and angry as he stood inches from the astounded Crazy Hand. The hand made a choking sound and observed the sword that was jabbed into his palm. His fingers twitched violently as Link shoved the sword in further, making it stab out of his back. It made a disgusting squelching sound. After what seemed like forever, Link gave a violet pull and ripped the sword out of the disembodied hand. Crazy Hand fell limply to the floor, his wound bleeding like a scarlet waterfall.

Link turned to look at Ness, smiling weakly. "It's over…" He whispered hoarsely, "We did it." Ness stopped looking frightened. He stepped forward and stared at the unconscious forms of the smashers. A wide grin spread across his face and he began to run, weaving among their fainted bodies. "Aw yeah! WOOOO!!" He shouted, jumping for joy, "Take DAT, Cwazy Hand!"

"Not…so…fast…" Came a weak hiss. The two looked in surprise at Crazy Hand, who was desperately trying to stand himself up with his fingers. Struggling, he managed to hold up one swirling ball of light. "I still have…one soul." He said, gurgling blood in his non-existent throat.

Link looked at each of the sleeping smashers, wondering which one he still had. A tapping noise behind him distracted him from Crazy Hand's words and he turned to see Meta Knight walking toward him slowly. "Huh? Oh hey, Meta Knight!" Meta Knight didn't reply. His head was bowed and his eyes were dark. "You okay?"

The swordsman sprung to life, his eyes becoming a striking red and his wings bursting from his back. He flew forward, his sword appearing out of nowhere and aimed for Link's face. Instinctively, Link held his sword up just in time and the Master Sword was able to keep Galaxia from slicing its wielder in half.

Link gave a heave, throwing Meta Knight backwards. The knight landed on the ground, skidding backwards. He halted himself, planting his feet firmly in the ground, and stood there, glowering at his friend. "Meta Knight…" Crazy Hand rasped, struggling to stay upright as his wound formed a pool of blood around him, "Kill them…"

"No!" Link shouted as Meta Knight obediently glided forward, sword ready to carry out its master's wishes. Knowing he couldn't outrun the winged soldier, he charged forward to meet his friend's attack, preparing his sword and shield.

The two swords rang out angrily as they clashed, filling the deadly silence with their scraping and screeching. As Link grew weaker, it felt as if Meta Knight was growing stronger, and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. As he barely managed to block a low attack from Meta Knight, the Star warrior's words echoed clearly throughout his mind.

"Link…"

Meta Knight used a Drill Dash to come rushing at Link, but the Hylian barely managed to roll out of the way.

"If I endanger you or Ness in any way…"

Link aimed an arrow at Meta Knight, but purposely missed, fearful at the aspect of harming the soulless smasher.

"Please do not hesitate to kill me…"

For a moment the battle subsided and the two swordsman locked eyes, red eyes boring into blue ones. Deviously taking advantage of the pause, Meta Knight swung his sword and a long red gash appeared on Link's left arm. He cried out in pain, dropping his sword as he clutched the wound that seared with unbearable pain. Meta Knight backed away, eyes shining maliciously with satisfaction.

"Wink!" Ness shouted, running towards the Hylian.

Link watched the dark knight's eyes focus on Ness and he cried out in alarm, "No Ness!" He forced himself to his feet, picking up his sword, although his arm cried out in pain. "Meta Knight, I'm…really sorry about this…" He murmured, knowing that he couldn't let him hurt Ness. Meta Knight looked back at Link, focusing his attention on him.

Link stepped forward and the two smashers turned to face each other. Ness stood back, eyes wide as he tried to think of some way they could get around what was coming. For a long time, they stood like that. Then Link raised his sword and began to run forward. Meta Knight curved his wings and flew at him, eyes flashing. Link leaped into the air, Master Sword gleaming.

"Link!" Ness cried out, his voice echoing in the emptiness, "NO!!"

A slicing sound followed by a loud clattering could be heard as the two flew past each other. Both landed on their feet, facing away from one another. A moment later, Meta Knight fell forward and lay facedown on the ground.

His mask, cleaved in two, lay next to him.


	22. Final Destination

**Whoa! It's the second to last chapter! Sorry the battle was kinda short. I feel bad that the story is almost over…but if you're a fan of the Earthbound/Mother series, keep an eye out for my upcoming stories for that! And I currently have a Meta Knight one going on too! Well enjoy the chapter…**

"C…Curse…you…" Crazy Hand rasped, his voice rattling painfully. He curled his fingers one last time before collapsing to the floor. There he lay, unmoving, his last breath spent…

The soul that he had been holding tore free of his grasp and floated slowly and majestically over to Meta Knight's still body. There it disappeared.

Link dropped his sword and shield to the floor and took off running towards the fallen warrior. "Meta Knight!" He screamed, taking no notice of the mask lying on the floor. As he approached, he heard a soft groan come from his friend and relief flooded every part of his body. The mask had saved him! He reached forward, placing a hand on his shoulder plate, and proceeded to turn him around to see if he was injured.

"Meta Knight are you…" He began to say, but trailed off at the strange sight before him.

Instead of the normal, tough-looking smasher, he was facing a cute blue puffball with round yellow eyes and cherry-red cheeks. The puffball blinked back at him, his mouth slightly open in bewilderment. Confused by what happened to Meta Knight, Link tilted his head to one side and asked, "Kirby?"

"Poyo?" Came a reply from behind him. He turned to look at Kirby, who had woken up. Other smashers began to stir and sit up, wondering what happened. Link looked back and forth from Kirby to the blue puffball. After a moment of delayed reaction, Link shouted a little too loudly, "META KNIGHT?!"

Meta Knight seemed to realize that his mask was off and his adorable cheeks turned extremely red as he grabbed his cape and attempted to hide his face behind it. At Link's outburst, all of the awakened smashers turned their attention to the armored puffball crouched before them. They gasped.

"That's Meta Knight?" "He's so cute!" "What's going on…?" "Where's his mask?" "Aww!" "He looks just like Kirby!" "Why didn't he ever take his mask off for us?"

The crowd quieted down and just stood there, staring at Meta Knight as his blue face turned redder and redder. He whimpered from behind his cape. A second later, he took off running into the darkness letting out an uncharacteristic scream that went something like, "NUUUUU!"

"Meta Knight, wait!" Link called after him, feeling guilty, "They, er, didn't mean it!"

"Eh, let him be." A voice said from behind him, making the swordsman turn in surprise, "He'll come back eventually."

"Toon Link!" Link exclaimed, feeling warmth towards his other self.

Clearly, Toon Link didn't share this feeling for he arched and eyebrow and said haughtily, "What?"

Link felt the warmth become replaced by pure annoyance. "I just saved your soul!" He growled, sounding oddly religious, "And alls you can say is "what?""

Toon Link patted his stomach. "Well…I'm hungry…" He grumbled, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Link!" Zelda said, rushing towards the two heroes, "You did it! And, oh my gosh, you're arm! Are you okay?"

Link looked down at his arm, which had turned red with blood. The pain came flooding back and he grasped it to stanch the flow. He had forgotten about it in all of the exciting events. "Oh, it's nothing a heart container can't fix." He laughed, clenching his teeth, and the other two smiled at him.

Not too far from the Zelda group, Olimar stood with his Pikmin gathered around him. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes as he said emotionally, "I just want you five to know how proud I am of you…and that no other Pikmin team has ever come this far with…" Suddenly, his eyes bulged from their sockets and he gasped, "Why, Snapdragon! Look! You've grown a flower!"

And it was true. Snapdragon had always been a leaf Pikmin, but as he looked up he saw a pretty yellow flower resting atop his head. He let out a mewl of pleasure and the other Pikmin surrounded him to congratulate him with hugs and body slams.

Everyone was happy to be reunited. The Pikmin, the Ice Climbers, the Pokemon, even Kirby and DeDeDe were overjoyed to see each other again. But one person had yet to join these exciting activities and he was standing in the middle of the crowd, spacing out about food. A faint cry could be heard over the joyful babble of smashers.

"Ness!"

Ness snapped out of his reverie and looked around. Sammy's cowlick appeared over the heads of a group of smashers, and he forced himself through the crowd. At the sight of his best friend, he went running towards him with a joyful shout.

"Neeess!"

Crack!

Ness pulled out his bat and smashed Sammy in the side of the face with it, knocking the blonde to the ground. Sammy sat up, holding his head and looking shocked. Ness bent down, holding out his hand for his friend to grab. "Dat's fow what you did to my face." He said, tenderly. Sammy smiled and reached up to take it.

As soon as both were on their feet, Ness threw himself at Sammy and they shared a long, blissful embrace, happy to be together again at last.

* * *

_And so, the ominous shadow that had been hanging over the mansion for the past four days…finally lifted._

_As soon as everyone left the portal, it closed up, bearing Crazy Hand's corpse away to the unknown. He would not be missed. Immediately, we worked together to rid the mansion of the Scarfies, Redeads, and whatever else was left._

_We then went to Master Hand's room to retrieve his body and give him a proper burial. But then we found he was alive after all! According to him, he faked his own death and then managed to survive inside that chest for a couple days. It's a good thing giant hands don't need to eat. _

_And as it turns out…_

_We were unable to keep it a secret any longer._

_Interviewers came in like crazy. Newspapers were printed by the dozen. We told the world our story-they loved it. They called it the "Tournament of Terror." Thousands of copies were sold. Through all of the excitement, the finals were completely forgotten. The last battle was to be me vs. Ness, but the interviewers hardly asked about that. Just about our adventure._

_But there was one question about the tournament I couldn't quite answer…_

"Sir Link! Why won't Meta Knight be finishing his fight with Ness?!"

"…"

_One I would answer for myself…_

Link walked slowly down the silent hallway. He reached a specific door and opened it very carefully as if handling a fragile object. He stepped inside the room, faced the figure sitting on the bed and said, "Hey…aren't you going to come downstairs? The battle's starting soon…"

Meta Knight's face hardened, but he didn't turn around. "No." He said, scowling.

"Why not?" Link asked gently.

"They'll…laugh at me." Meta Knight's voice cracked ever so slightly. As he spoke those words, he felt horribly ashamed. He had come, hoping to win this tournament and now he had forced himself to drop out all over the silly fact that he had lost his mask. But no matter how much he craved to continue participating in the battles, he simply refused to let the world see him in all of his humiliation.

"Why would they?" Link continued, "You look just like Kirby!"

At that, Meta Knight sprang up and turned around, glowering. "But I'm not Kirby!" He hissed, pointing to himself, "I am Meta Knight!" They stood there for a minute in silence, Meta Knight staring defiantly at Link. With a sudden sigh, he sat back down. "But…not without my mask." He said in a defeated voice, his adorable features saddening. "Without my mask I am nothing."

_Errgh…why does he have to be so cute? _Link thought, awkward with this new Meta Knight. Feeling a wave of frustration, Link crossed his arms and said, "Okay, so you're basically telling me your mask is named Meta Knight? Jeez, Meta. Seriously, what have you got to be ashamed of…?"

"Can't you see my scars?" Meta Knight asked, tipping his head to the side.

_Scars? What scars?!? _Link screamed inwardly. Sure Meta Knight was old and had seen his fair share of battles, but Link couldn't see any scars on his smooth blue skin. Even if he did have scars, they would have been difficult to see against the dark coloring. Wondering if Meta Knight held these scars inside himself emotionally, Link turned away and began to exit the room.

"Meta Knight, I don't know how you see yourself but…I'd really appreciate it if you came down for the match. And I'm sure Ness would too." With that, he closed the door behind him, leaving Meta Knight alone to ponder his request.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Mario announced in a grand voice, "Your finalists!"

Everyone screamed their heads off and the two declared finalists had to cover their ears. Going up to the recently fixed transporter, they each cast a glance at the stage-chooser, which was resting on Final Destination. That epic stage was always the last in the tournament. With a nod to each other, they stepped inside the transporter and faced out to the other smashers.

"Go Link!" Zelda shouted.

"Go Ness!" Sammy yelled at the same time.

Both exchanged a death glare. Toon Link noticed their hostility and said uncertainly, "Um…go Link _and _Ness?"

Link smiled and Ness made a peace sign as everyone fit in their last cheers and shouts of good luck to them. Then, in a flash of light, they were gone.

"And now," The TV said in a dramatic voice, "The last battle of Super Smash Bros. Brawl…will be right back after these messages!"

The smashers groaned in disappointment. Settling, down they began to wait for the commercials to end when all turned their attentions to the footsteps coming from the hall. They looked at the doorway. Meta Knight peeked around the corner, wrapped in his cape. Even though he was trying his best to conceal his face, everyone could still tell that he was blushing deeply. They stared at him, biting their tongues and turning red as they tried not to say anything that would upset the knight.

"Hey hot stuff!" Jigglypuff squealed, breaking the silence.

Meta Knight gave a loud growl and whipped out his sword.

"Jigglypuff! Shut up!" Someone hissed and Meta Knight paused. There was an awkward silence as they stood there for a while. Satisfied that the smashers knew better than to mess with him, Meta Knight tucked his sword back into the depths of his cape. He had barely taken a step when Kirby flew out of nowhere and bowled him over.

"Poyo!" He squealed, giving his fellow puffball a big hug. Meta Knight struggled to stay upright but tripped and fell flat on his face. Kirby scrambled onto his back and looked down at his mentor, eyes shining happily. "Meda Nigh!" He exclaimed, hugging his friend, "Meda Nigh!"

No one could hold it back any longer.

"Awww!" They all cried out at the adorable reunion. "Awwwwwww!"

Meta Knight felt as if a huge spotlight had been shone on him and he turned red once more. "Agh!" He cried out, clutching his face. "Just shut up, stop lookin' at my face and watch the friggin' tournament!!"

Kirby giggled. The rest of the smashers chuckled at the uncharacteristic outburst and turned back to the TV.

_Come on Ness. _Sammy thought, _you can win this. I have complete faith in you._

_Oh, Link. _Zelda prayed, _I know you can do it. You're the Hero of Time, after all._

Meta Knight retreated to a lone corner where he could watch the match without everyone staring at him. Feeling a twinge of envy, he shook it off and closed his eyes.

_Link…Ness…good luck. Both of you…_

"The final battle of Super Smash Brothers Brawl…starts NOW!!"

Everyone cheered as the Link vs. Ness picture came up.

"3"

Ness appeared, covered in ashes, but quickly shook them off.

"2"

Link appeared in a gust of wind and took out his sword.

"1"

They faced each other as stars behind them lit up a bright, spiraling galaxy.

"GO!"

Ness charged forward and threw a P.K. Fire at Link, who jumped into the air, twisting and turning. He landed neatly behind Ness and slashed his sword at him, but Ness sidestepped and rolled to one side. Ness started a P.K. Thunder and Link threw his boomerang, but both missed.

There was a bright flash as the galaxy behind them disappeared and a bright sun hanging over an ocean took its place. Link slashed with his sword. Ness barely managed to block an attack with his bat and the metal clashed against the wood. Both were knocked back from the blow. Ness used this sudden distraction to his advantage and tripped Link. Creating another P.K. Thunder, Link was shocked and damaged.

Yet, the Hylian was quick to retaliate. He brought out a bomb and Ness couldn't dodge the explosion. He also took damage.

The audience had stopped cheering by now. Everyone was completely immersed in the fighting, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open. Even the smashers back at the mansion barely made a sound as they held their breaths and waited to see who would come out on top.

Ness leaped over an oncoming arrow and hit Link in the chest with his yellow and white yoyo. Link brought his sword forward and cut the yoyo neatly from its string as he hit the side of Ness's head. The psychic's eyes watered as the yoyo clattered lifelessly to the ground. Ness charged forward and hit Link with a strong P.K. Spark attack. As he came close, Link spun around wildly with his sword. Ness took a lot of damage.

He kicked Link as he tried to escape, but the swordsman parted with a blow to his back. Getting out of range, Ness threw another P.K. Fire at his opponent. This time Link was caught in it and he remained there for a painstaking moment. Ness brought out his bat and went to hit him, but he was a tad too slow and the Hylian escaped. He jumped high over Ness, tucked his sword under him, and brought it down.

Ness was sent flying. He jumped once, but realized he wasn't going to make it. Taking his chances, he directed a P.K. Thunder around him, just as he had done with Snake. Surprisingly, he was able to pull it off and propelled himself up to the edge. He grabbed it as Link stood back and waited for him to come up.

Ness hung there, suspended for a couple of seconds as the ocean scene behind him rotated upside down. Ignoring the queasiness in his stomach, Ness pulled himself over the ledge. Link was ready and fired an arrow at him. Pain shot through the psychic, but he was able to land a hit with his bat on Link. Link brought back his sword and swiped it through the air, but Ness retreated to the left part of the stage.

Link, thinking twice about his decision, retreated to the right side. There they stood, the two finalists facing off. To heighten the drama, the scene changed and they were once again suspended in space, stars twinkling above them and planets rotating around them.

Link tightened his grip on his sword. Ness clenched his fists.

_Time to finish this!_

Link let out a battle cry and shot forward, sword raised.

Ness brought his hands up to his face and cried out, "P.K. Flash!"

The shining green light headed towards Link as Link raced straight towards Ness.

Lifting the sword high in the air, Link stood above the focused psychic, preparing to bring it down upon him.

Time seemed to slow and there they stood, Link's sword high in the air, Ness's eyes closed. The sword came down, inches from Ness's head. But then there was a bright green flash and a sound like an explosion. Ness released the attack and Link froze, caught inside of it. He stood there for a moment, eyes wide with shock as P.K. Flash engulfed him. A moment later, he went flying out of Final Destination with one last yell.

Everything was silent. Ness turned to face the audience, planting his feet firmly on the ground and placing his hands on his hips. Taking a deep breath, he said,

"Okay!"

Everyone burst into applause, screaming and cheering and wailing his or her faces off.

"Ness wins the final battle of Super Smash Bros. BRAWWWLLLL!" The announcer shrieked, jumping up and down like a madman.

The smashers jumped all throughout the Tournament Room, celebrating the successful end of the third tournament. They had come a long way. It was as if at that time, it didn't matter who had won the tournament. They were celebrating because they were _alive _and they were here to see it happen with their own eyes.

They crowded around the transporter; ready to congratulate the finalists on a job well done. A moment later Ness appeared, and everyone surrounded him, practically smothering him with attention.

Ness rejoiced along with them, grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't have looked any happier if tasty tweats had started raining down from the sky right then and there.

* * *

**Yay! Ness won! Let me tell you that it was hard to figure out who was going to win, but in the end I decided that it was going to be Ness. His votes were high and everyone loved his sense of humor as said in the reviews. I still hope you are pleased and that you will read the last chapter when I put it up. :)**


	23. The End

**Me: Well it's finally the last chapter and it's a really long one! I'm so grateful to everyone who reviewed this. It's kind of sad that it's just about over now…**

**Ness: NOOO Dat can't be it!!! Thewe's gotta be mowe! MOWE!!!**

**Link: Calm down.**

**Meta Knight: It's just an author's note.**

**Me: Thank you so much for reading this and please keep an eye out for my other stories in the future!**

**Link: Well guys, it's been fun y'know? I'll miss seeing you once our roles have ended…**

**Ness: What? No.**

**Meta Knight: Yours has, but ours hasn't.**

**Ness: The authowess is getting into Eawthbound! I might be getting a stowy next, eithew that, ow Sammy wiww!**

**Meta Knight: And the authoress is currently writing a story about me.**

**Me: Uhh, moving on, here's the results of the "Who's your favorite character poll." After day after day of constant ties between the 3 main characters, reviewers from my Meta Knight story decided they would cheat and vote even though they hadn't read the story and so the final winner is…Meta Knight! Although it doesn't really count so…you all got votes, so you're all winners! Oh except for Toon Link cause he got none.**

**Toon Link: …**

**Me: Anyways, please-**

**Ness: No, I wanna say it! Folks, pwease enjoy the final chapta of…**

**TOUWNAMENT OF TEWWA!!**

Ness turned to congratulate Link, but his smile disappeared when he realized that the Hylian hadn't returned. The transporter stood silent and empty. He walked over to it slowly and everyone quieted, waiting for Link to appear. But he didn't.

"Wink…" Ness breathed, his throat tightening.

Meta Knight was suddenly beside him, his eyes wide. "N-No way…" He said, wondering if Crazy Hand had managed to come back.

Everyone looked at one another in silence, wondering what to do. Without warning, a resounding zapping noise filled the room and Link burst from the transporter, knocking into Ness and Meta Knight. They all fell in a heap on the floor, Link grinning sheepishly. Sitting up, he scooped Meta Knight into his arms and grabbed Ness and gave him a noogie, looking way to happy for his own good. (A/N: Clipit wanted to change noogie to boogie……lol)

"Link!" Zelda shouted, coming into the room, "The reporters just broke in and there's no stopping them! What should we do?"

Meta Knight gave a startled gasp and scrambled to the top of Link's head, throwing off the swordsman's hat and climbing inside. Link sweatdropped, as Navi protested as the puffball hid inside Link's hat.

"Hey!" The fairy screeched at him, "Hey, listen! You better watch out because this is my hat and I-!"

"Shut up!" Meta Knight hissed, "I'm trying to hide!"

Navi wasn't listening. She was rambling on just to hear herself talk. "I'll eat your eyes and lick your liver until you're mailed to Hong Kong in a cardboard bo-Hey! You're not listening!"

Meta Knight quickly slipped out his sword…

"EEP!" Navi shrieked and the hat became quiet.

The reporters flooded in, hungry looks on their faces. The smashers parted to let them by. "Move it!!" The lead woman shouted, "Get out of our way…there they are!!!"

Link could feel Ness trembling beside him as the reporters walked up.

"Link, Sir Meta Knight promised us that we could interview the champion all we wanted when the tournament was over!" The reporter told him, oblivious to the huge lump in Link's head.

At the mention of his name, Meta Knight shifted slightly inside the hat. Link gave the woman a warm smile. "And Meta Knight is a knight who keeps his promises. You may interview the champion all you want…"

"Wink! No!!" Ness exclaimed in an odd, strangled voice. "I've made it ma goaw to neva give them an intaview! I don't wanna go bweakin' dat wecowd now!!"

"Too bad!" The reporters hissed, springing at him like a pack of hungry wolves, "You're comin' with us!" They grabbed his legs and started to drag him out of the room while he clawed frantically at the carpet, crying out, "NOOOOO! Have mewcy!"

He looked around wildly and spotted his best friend. "Sammy…Sammy, hewp!" He shouted desperately as the reporters cackled evilly.

Sammy thought back to the time when Ness had left him to the reporters. He laughed nervously, "Hehe…I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Ness opened his mouth and a string of curses erupted from it, all directed at Sammy as he was disappeared out the door. Sammy grew cold. "…Why is it that whenever I joke around with Ness, I always end up fearing for my life?" He asked in a quavering voice.

A nearby Toon Link looked over at him, eyes shining with sympathy. "Hey, it's not your fault the kid's a nut."

Link smiled and said to Meta Knight, "You can come out now. They're gone."

"Thank goodness." Meta Knight sighed, hopping down from the top of Link's head. He looked down at something clutched in his hand then awkwardly handed it to Link. "Uh…here you go." Link stared at the limp form of Navi, not knowing how to react.

"Hey guys!" Someone shouted, "Who wants to see Ness get mobbed by reporters?"

"Meee!" "I do!" "Let's go!"

"See ya." Meta Knight went running after the crowd that trampled out of the room.

"Guys, wait! Come back!" Link called. Master Hand floated up from behind him. Link turned, saying, "Oh, hey Master Hand. I didn't see you there. You're so quiet. Um…you're not upset over Crazy Hand are you?"

"No." The hand told him, "I'm glad to see Ness win. After all, he might not be with us next year. Besides, Crazy and I never really got along. We were too different." Suddenly, Master Hand's voice quieted and he spoke so softly that Link had to strain his ears to hear him. "Do you know what we two hands symbolize?"

"No. What?"

"Creation and Destruction…" Master Hand whispered, more to himself than to Link.

Silence filled the deserted Tournament Room. "So Crazy Hand was destruction…" Link said, not sure what else to say.

Master Hand straightened up, once again speaking in a normal tone. "It makes sense, doesn't it? But now is not the time to brood over it. You should be out there with the rest of the smashers." The hand floated away, passing by the front door and heading for the stairs. Link followed.

"What about you…?" He called after him.

"I must honor the death of Crazy Hand." Master Hand replied, "He was, after all, my brother…"

* * *

"How's it going?" Link asked, approaching the crowd of smashers. Zelda, who stood with Sammy, Kirby, and Olimar, turned to grin at him.

"Oh, Link!" She said, stifling a laugh, "Remember how I said I wanted you to win? Well, I'm sure glad you didn't!" She signaled to where Ness was.

The poor boy was at a tall stand, trying his best to hide behind the tall trophy he had been presented with as the crowd of reporters and fans flashed cameras and screamed things at him such as…

"Ness what are your thoughts on this?" "What emotions were you feeling when…" "Ness the press is dying to know if…" "Smile for the camera Ness!" "Care to demonstrate how…" "Ness do you think this has affected your chance of being in the next tournament?" "Did the adventure affect your fighting?" "Is Link okay with your victory or…" "How did you feel when your yoyo got cut off?" "What the news on your love life?" "Am I pretty?!"

Ness covered his ears and screamed, feeling that he was about to go insane. Suddenly an especially ferocious reporter bellowed over all the rest, "Ness! Describe the finishing move for us! Would you have done it any other way?"

"Yeah!" "Tell us!" The crowd echoed as the on looking smashers snickered.

"Oh…y-y-you mean…?" Ness said in a small voice. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and folks, let me tell you it's not everyday that an idea pops into Ness's head. He cleared his voice and said loudly, "You mean…P.K. FWASH!" There was an explosion of green and Ness was gone, along with his trophy.

"He's gone!" A fangirl fainted.

"Quick! Find him!" A reporter screeched.

A random person started crying.

Sammy looked around in shock. "Where did he…?" Glancing upwards, he saw Ness glaring down at him from on top of his head. "ACK! Ness! P-Please don't kill…!"

"Welax!" Ness said, smiling evilly, "I won't. Just get me inside the mansion safely so I don't have to."

Sammy opened his mouth to protest, then closed it and nodded mutely. Ness grinned and burrowed into his cowlick to hide his face. "Okay, now shh. I'm not hewe."

Sammy rolled his eyes. "Oh Ness, you'll never change."

* * *

_Finally, it ended. The reporters got no interview…Ness kept his record…Master Hand honored his brother's death…Meta Knight retreated to his room and stayed there…and the rest of us…_

_Prepared to head home._

_

* * *

  
_

Three days later…

Link stepped out of his room and sighed, dropping his bag at his feet. "It's so quiet…"

"GWOAARRR!!!!!!!" A giant hand came flying across the hall, about to drive itself into Link. The Hylian let out a surprised yell and nearly fell over. The hand stopped and floated there. "Oh, I'm sorry Link! I thought you were a burglar. I thought all of the smashers went home."

"That's right." Link agreed, "Everyone wanted to get home and tell their family and friends they were all right. Am I the last one?"

Master Hand counted his oversized fingers. "Now that I think of it, Meta Knight's still here and Ness and Sammy are still partying. Oh and Kirby and Dedede are departing as we speak. Which reminds me! You have a message." He handed Link a small piece of paper. Link took it. It read:

_Hey Link,_

_Zelda, Ganondork, and I all left. We though you wouldn't mind if we ditched you since you got to be the hero while we were possessed. _

_Speaking of which, don't think this is over! Next year I'll make sure to beat you so don't expect another corny sacrifice like last time! I look forward to the next time we meet, which will hopefully be in battle at the next tournament!_

_Until then, I'm stickin' with the Creepy Old Boat Man!_

_Your better half,_

_Toon Link_

_P.S. I couldn't stand another moment with Ness and his partying._

Link tossed the letter to the ground and took off running down the stairs, calling over his shoulder, "Okay! Thanks Master Hand!"

"Aren't you going to leave too?" The hand questioned, confused.

"Yes, but first I have some business to attend to!" He responded hurriedly, disappearing down the stairs and heading for the main door.

In the front yard, Kirby was standing sitting on a large Warp Star while King Dedede stood next to it, looking awkward. He frowned at the puffball, saying, "I'm telling you Kirby. As soon as we get home, I'm your enemy again. No buts about it."

"Poyokay!" Kirby agreed cheerfully.

"King Dedede!" Link yelled, running towards the star, "Wait!"

The penguin looked around in surprise, and then spotted Link, who stopped and stood there, panting. Dedede growled, "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

Link straightened up. "I'm sorry, I just have to ask…" He said uncertainly, "Are you really going to banish Meta Knight from Dreamland."

Dedede's eyes widened and he stood there, looking nervous. "Well…no." He said, looking extremely embarrassed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly good at being evil. None of us would be here if it weren't for Meta Knight so I owe him. Besides, there's no way I could ever do anything bad to a cute face like that."

Link sweatdropped, thinking, _what about Kirby… _But neither of the Dreamland residents seemed to notice the contradiction.

Suddenly, a large grin spread of Dedede's face and he hopped joyfully onto the Warp Star. "Well, we'll be going then!" He announced cheerfully, looking a lot happier than he had for days, "Tell everyone I said goodbye…and tell Meta Knight and Sammy I said I was sorry!"

"Bwi-Bwi! Poyooo!" Kirby shouted as the Warp Star drifted away.

"Bye!" Link said, waving as the star disappeared into the sky. He shook his head, laughing to himself, "Boy, he _is_ a sucky villain. Since when has Ganondorf ever apologized to me?"

* * *

"Grr…it's not fair that I have to clean all the rooms since the servants are gone." Master Hand growled, drifting along the male floor corridor, "I wonder if the P.K. boys left yet? Ness probably left a big mess…" He paused thoughtfully by their room. "Actually, maybe not. From what I heard, he's a good kid." Master Hand reached for the tiny knob and opened the door.

"HOLY-!" He screamed at the sight before him.

Ness stood before a large mass of flames, holding a stick with a marshmallow on the end. He turned his head in the hand's direction and grinned happily, "Oh! Hiya Mastah Hand!"

Poor Master Hand would have had a heart attack right then and there if he hadn't been a disembodied hand. He shook wildly, screeching, "Argh! Get water! Quick! Where's Sammy?! What have you done?!?"

Ness was oblivious to the hand's shock and anger. He stuffed the delicious marshmallow in his mouth, smearing goop all over his face. "I set fia to da bed so I could woast some mawshmallows." He explained calmly as if he were talking to a five-year old, "Want one?"

"Heck no!" Master Hand bellowed, "Now where's Sammy?!"

"Here I am!" Sammy shouted, appearing from the bathroom.

"Put it out!"

Sammy crossed his arms in front of him, shouting, "P.K. Freeze!" A ring of ice surrounded the flames.

"P.K. Fia!" Ness shouted, melting the ice instantly so it became water and put out the fire…whether this would have actually worked in real life, I highly doubt it.

The two boys gave each other high fives. "Yay! Go P.K. Team!" Sammy cheered. "We P.K. Wock!" Ness shouted proudly.

"Shut up!" Master Hand snapped, beginning to calm down. "You started it in the first place! Now where is that trophy?"

"Trophy?" Sammy said, his eyebrows creasing worriedly.

"What twophy?" Ness asked, as if the tournament hadn't even existed.

"The super expensive trophy that you won in the tournament." Master Hand said, horror starting to creep through his fingers. Ness pulled out a shining gold shape that looked like a piece of candy in a twisted wrapper.

"You mean the one we mewted down to wook wike a tasty tweat?" Ness asked innocently.

The scream that filled the mansion after that was so loud that it could no be written down and caused all Mr. Saturns to go deaf within a 5-mile radius (which, lucky for them, they don't have ears). Master Hand grabbed the two boys and threw them out of the charred room, screaming, "That's it! Get outta my mansion! Grab Meta Knight on your way out and go home! I'm going on one long vacation after this!!" He slammed the door and locked it so they couldn't come back in.

"Oh weww, wet's go!" Ness said, leaving the hand to clean up the room. Ness's Mr. Saturn leaped out of his backpack and onto his head, happy that it had not gone deaf. Sammy shook his head resentfully and muttered, "Wipe your face, Ness…"

While Ness got rid of the marshmallow on his face, Sammy knocked on Meta Knight's door. The door opened, revealing two yellow eyes within a dark room.

"Let me guess…" Meta Knight hissed, "You caused so much trouble that Master Hand kicked you out and now I have to leave too, thanks to your foolishness."

The two boys grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, pwetty much." Ness said, "Weady to go?"

"No matter." Meta Knight murmured, half to himself, "I told my crew to pick my up in Halberd #4…that is, unless it blew up like the other 3."

"Knowing youw wuck, it pwobly did…" Ness said unsympathetically, "Hey Mista Satuwn! Wace you to da steps!"

"Kay-O! Zoom!" Mr. Saturn agreed, bouncing after him.

Meta Knight sighed and walked out of his room. He and Sammy trudged calmly through the hall. Meta Knight looked up at Sammy, eyes brimming with curiosity. "So I get it you're happy to see your brother again, huh?" He questioned.

"WHAT?!" Sammy shrieked in a high-pitched voice, stopping dead in his tracks. "B-but my brother's dead!!" He looked around wildly as if expecting to see his deceased brother Claus come running out of one of the rooms, yelling, "Let's switch places!"

Meta Knight's eyes widened. "What?! But he just went running off with Mr. Saturn a moment ago!"

Sammy giggled. "Oh! Pfft. Ness isn't my brother, silly! My game takes place 100 years after his! And my name isn't Sammy either. It's Lucas."

Meta Knight looked totally dumbfounded. "What?" He exclaimed, "But…Ness calls you Sammy. Everyone does!"

Sammy suddenly looked very serious. "Yeah…well…he never was quite the same after he got hit by that mail truck. 'Don't go out in the street!' I told him, 'A piece of candy isn't worth the risk.' But did he listen? Nope. I tried to get him to call me Lucas again after the whole ordeal, but he'd call me Pucas or Mucas or even emphasize the second syllable so it sounded…profane. So I learned to accept Sammy as my name."

Meta Knight's expression was unreadable as he said awkwardly, "That's…quite a story…"

Sammy grinned and said, "Well, let's just leave before Master Hand comes back, shall we?"

Out in the front yard, Link stood with a beautiful fiery mare, hitching a saddle onto her back while rubbing her neck. "Hey there, Epona." He murmured, "I missed you…ready to go home?" Epona snorted and stamped a hoof in anticipation.

"You weren't thinking of leaving without saying goodbye, were you?" Meta Knight demanded, approaching the Hylian from behind with the two psychics. The boys ran over to Epona, gasping with awe at how cool she was. Link forced a smile at Meta Knight.

"No!" He said, and added silently, "But I bet you were…" Then he faced the two psychics. "Her name's Epona. How are you guys going to get home?"

"Tewepowt!" Ness said proudly.

"Halberd." Meta Knight muttered.

"Um, I don't know…" Sammy said slowly, "I guess I'll just ride Mr. Saturn's coffee table!" As if on cue, the coffee table appeared with Mr. Saturn sitting at the front. "Oh! There it is!" Sammy grinned, starting to walk over to it.

"NO!" All three smashers screamed, throwing themselves at Sammy in an attempt to block him from climbing aboard. Sammy climbed on, looking at them curiously as they crashed to the ground in their failed attempt.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking confused, "It's not like it's super fast or anything…well, Mr. Saturn and I are headed out!"

Link was the first to recover, followed by Meta Knight. "Have a nice trip." "Uh…goodbye." Ness stood up and reached into his backpack. He brought out the golden tasty tweat and went to give it to Sammy.

"Sammy, I want you to have this…" He said seriously.

"What!" Sammy exclaimed, sudden tears appearing in his eyes. Touched, he reached for it, "R-Really Ness…?"

Ness swiped it away, laughing at how gullible his friend was. "Heck no! You'we awweady stealin' my Mista Satuwn so why the cwap would I give you dis?!"

Sammy rolled his eyes and turned away, making himself comfortable on the table. "Well, hope to see you guys soon!"

"Okay! Bye!" Link called.

"Farewell." Meta Knight echoed.

"Soon?!" Ness shouted, ruining the moment of departure, "Heck, I'ww see you tomawow!"

The Coffee Express turned and galloped away at a comfortable speed, Sammy calling out his last goodbyes while the three smashers stood there wondering what that horrible table had against them. As soon as he disappeared, Link gave a tired sigh. "It's getting late…we should go too."

"Hey Wink…" Ness said, absentmindedly licking his gold tasty tweat, "Do you think we'ww aww be in the next touwnament together?"

"Probably not." Link said, watching as Ness's eyes widened unhappily, "Meta Knight's a newcomer and they've been trying to get rid of you since Melee so-!"

"Ness." Meta Knight interrupted firmly, before the Hylian could go too far, "The next tournament isn't for a long time. Right now, you have won and you should be celebrating. Not only that, but you helped save the smashers' lives…and that matters more than any tournament."

The other two smiled at the knight's small speech. "You know," Ness declared, "I don't cawe what anyone says…you'we weally cool, Meta Knight."

"Yeah," Link agreed, "and you've definitely got to be in the next tournament."

Meta Knight stared at them. Then, a small smiled flashed across his face and his eyes turned blue as the quietest of laughs escaped from his lips.

"Bwue!" Ness shouted, waving his arms frantically with happiness, "They turned bwue!!"

Link grinned, following along. "He's happy! He's happy!"

Meta Knight rolled his eyes and they returned to their normal color. Then the Halberd came flying down from the sky and landed on the ground, luckily still in one piece. "Here's my ride…" Meta Knight sighed in relief, heading towards a pair of steps that opened up at the bottom. "Well…until we meet again."

"Sir!" Two of his soldiers cried, appearing at the top of the steps and proceeding to rush down. "Lord Meta Knight!" Sword Knight and Blade Knight stopped at the bottom step, looking at him in surprise. "Why weren't you in the semi-finals?" "Where's your mask?"

"It's nothing." Meta Knight replied, "Let's go."

"Wait, Sir!" Another knight that looked like a cross between a large skull and a Viking appeared from behind them. "We have a spare mask!" He held up the shining silver mask and Meta Knight took it, looking astounded.

"Where did you…?"

"Sailor Dee, sir." Ax Knight explained, referring to the Waddle Dee who had died when Meta Knight had tried to take over Dreamland, "He must have made it for you before the Halberd crashed and his life was taken."

Meta Knight's eyes shone with emotion as he strapped the mask to his face and unfolded his wings. "Thank you." He murmured quietly. Then he turned, his wings fanning out behind him.

"Are you ready to go, my lord?" Blade questioned anxiously.

"Sword, Blade, Ax…tell the crew I will be flying home on my own." Meta Knight said.

"What?!" "But it's too long a trip!"

"I need time to reflect." He explained, "Farewell, my soldiers. Until our paths cross once more." They watched him take off into the darkening sky and watched as he disappeared into the night.

"B-but…we were gonna have picnics!" Ax Knight sniffed, holding up a basket.

"What do you expect?" Sword growled, "He's a lone wolf. That'll never change." With glum expressions, the knights boarded the Halberd and the monstrous ship sailed off into the sky once more. Link climbed onto Epona, casting one last glance at his friend Ness.

"I suppose this is where we part." He said, before digging his feet into Epona's side with a loud, "Hya!" The horse whinnied and galloped away towards the setting sun.

Ness stood there in the empty yard of the Smash Mansion, eyes wide as he stared at the stars spread out above him. For a long time he stood in silence until he finally broke the silence. "It's ova." He murmured. "It aww went so, so fast…stiww…I can't hewp feew dat I fowgot something…" He paused, racking his brain for anything he was missing.

"Oh weww!" He said, grinning, "I'm suwe it's nothing. Time to go home!"

Finally, the sun set, and total silence was cast over the deserted Smash Mansion. The smashers had gone home, back to where they belonged and left behind the world of brawl. As quickly as the tournament had come, it had gone, and now it was merely a memory as everyone began to head into their separate futures.

A large white hand floated beside a burnt bedroom window, regarding these past events.

"Farewell, smashers." He declared, "Until the next tournament."

He stayed beside the window for another minute until he turned and floated away with a final sigh. He left the room and closed the door behind him. With one last click it shut itself one last time.

A plushie sat, forgotten on the window ledge, and challenged to the empty mansion,

"Come back when you can put up a fight!"

**~The End**


End file.
